WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS AND CAPABLE WIFE?
This is a proverb made more timely by the current culture’s low view of marriage. Neither the art of being a wife, nor a husband are held in high regard today. Yet, for those who would have a marriage as God designed, desiring to experience the joy and bliss of such a divine estate, the Proverbs 31 description of a godly wife, is well… more precious than rubies!
As a young man, I was overwhelmed by the prospect of finding a wife. How can you find the right one? As most men, my eye was attracted to outward beauty. Yet, I soon found this an uncertain indicator of inner grace (as my mother had warned). Even listening to my pastor’s sermons, who taught us not to date those outside the faith, I struggled with uncertainty. How could I be sure that I had found the right one for me? I mean, this whole “two shall become one” stuff is a pretty big deal and then you add on “till death do us part,” and I was terrified of making a mistake.
That’s when I began to pray for a Proverbs 31 wife, wherever she was out there, that God would take care of her and prepare her for me. I would go through the list of attributes and pray them for her. In the process of doing this, I began to think about whether I was worthy of having such a wife. Didn’t I need to be a Proverbs 31 husband too? “Where’s that list?” I wondered. So, I began to pray a two part prayer: “Lord, make me worthy of such a wife and help me find her when the time is right.”
This coming June will mark 40 years of marriage to my Proverbs 31 wife. This is a thing that God has done. He prepared us for each other before we ever met. He led us to find each other. And He has knit us together through many joys and sorrows along the way. I don’t think either of us would have fit the Proverbs 31 description when we first started. But in our commitment to God and to one another, the Lord has done this work in us.
If you are looking to find a Proverbs 31 wife (or husband), first learn to be satisfied in your relationship with God, asking Him to make you more and more like Jesus, which is His purpose for you. Pray for your future mate, that God is doing the same for them. Then, ask God to lead you to one another when the time is right.