Today is my first successful choosing to rise early (it is 6:49 as I type this), stay up (my "water" alarm clock is very effective) and read from "The Voice: New Testament" (available on Kindle), and pray as my Father and the Holy Spirit direct.
Upon opening "The Voice: New Testament" I discovered that I had left off on Chapter 3 of 1st Peter, Peter's treatise on the behavior of wives in public.
This is what Peter has to say: "Consider how Sarah, our mother, obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him “lord,” and you will be her daughters as long as you boldly do what is right without fear and without anxiety." (1 Peter 3:6)
Nelson, Thomas (2008-10-28). The Voice: New Testament (with book and chapter navigation) (Kindle Locations 13820-13821). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Later in Chapter 3, Peter has this to say: "14 Even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you will receive a blessing. Don’t let them frighten you. Don’t be intimidated, 15–16 but exalt the Liberating King as Lord in your heart. Always be ready to offer a defense, humbly and respectfully, when someone asks why you live in hope. Keep your conscience clear so that those who ridicule your good conduct in the Liberator and say bad things about you will be put to shame." (emphasis mine)
Nelson, Thomas (2008-10-28). The Voice: New Testament (with book and chapter navigation) (Kindle Locations 13837-13840). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
My take on the above passage from 1 Peter is quite different from the commentator's, who rightly focused on the being prepared to reply to our attackers with humility and respect. My take focuses on the importance of being like Mary and keeping the things God has communicated hidden in her heart so that they have a direct effect on everything she did from that day forward as she raised God's son. The importance of behaving humbly and respectfully when in public (it is important in private too, but how I behave in public, especially when I am with Mike, reflects directly on my husband which damages his self-image and potentially how others view him); and keeping my conscience clear so those who observe me when I AM in public may see Jesus reflected in all that I do and say and imply with my tone of voice or my body language.
My personal prayer list for today is as follows:
- Faithfulness - the 8th of the 9 fruits of the spirit. It requires control over my tongue as I agree or decline requests; keeping promises regardless of how I feel after I've made them; sensitivity to the Holy Spirit so my promises and tasks I obligate to are in line with God's will; AND choosing to get up at 6:30 every morning to spend time with God in prayer and reading His word.
- Our son and daughter, their sons, and my mother, as they move to Nicaragua as full-time missionaries for as many years as God directs. This will require that all are faithful in their family and personal prayer time and quiet time; a significant cultural change from a innocence/guilt culture to a honor/shame culture and all that this implies for our son AND our daughter and my mother as they interact with our son in public.
- Protection and awareness of the inevitable attacks from Satan as their ministry will have profound effect on the hold he has over the people of Managua and Nicaragua. My own mother's heart and grandmother's heart grieve for the pain these attacks will cause; but I have learned that I can be confident in God and His leading. What man means for evil, God can and WILL turn for good.
- My beloved husband, that God will direct me today to respect him and love him as God wills me to do; that my behavior will reflect the love of God that is so deep and so unfathomable that he will be drawn toward God and seek His will first for today; so that my choosing to put God first will be a blessing in my husband's life and that he will bask in the glow of God's favor.
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