Blessed is She

Anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes has probably heard me quote Beth Moore. When asked one time in an ice breaker, "If you could be twins with anyone, who would it be?" I quickly responded, "Beth Moore!" And, not just because of her good hair!

Though I have never met her face to face, Beth has been my "resident" bible teacher for the last decade, just as she has been for thousands of women across America. I cannot begin to express how my faith has grown through her bible studies. To be clear, (and I'm sure Beth would say the same), Beth's wisdom and insight into the Scriptures has been entrusted to her by God and God alone--not by her own intellect, though she has plenty of that, too. Neverthless, I am so thankful that Beth heeded the Lord's call on her life. Most of all, I am thankful that Beth has dispensed with appearances in order to be transparent about her own struggles and the victory that she has found in Christ Jesus! Lord knows, I am better off because of her testimony!

This week, I have been listening to a recording of a message Beth gave to a group of women at the Living Proof Live event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The message is entitled, "The Perfect Storm," based on Acts 27. You can purchase it here. In the message, Beth talks about the impact that storms can have on our lives. The message is chock full of Scriptural truths that are worth reflecting upon, but in the interest of time (homework's waiting), I will get down to the main point.

Toward the end of her message, Beth said something that stopped me in my tracks. She said,

"Some of us have gotten a clear word from God that we have given up on."

Then she asks, "What did God tell you? ... Do you still believe Him for that word, or have you given up on it?" She goes on to say, "There is something on the other side of this storm that you must endure to be able to receive what God has for you."

Finally, Beth quotes a verse of Scripture that blew me away. Luke 1:45 (NIV):

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" (Luke 1:45, NIV)

Though I had read that verse before, I had never noticed the feminine pronoun. The verse actually uses the pronoun she! To be perfectly honest, I usually couldn't care less whether an author uses a masculine or feminine pronoun. (In fact, in my undergraduate days of writing papers for my English major, I was annoyed when my professors required us to use gender-neutral pronouns. To me, it's jarring to the reader to use the combined form of "he/she.")

But, something about the use of the pronoun "she" in that verse is so touching to me! Why? Perhaps, it's because I am still desperately clinging to a word I received from God a few years ago that has not come to fruition yet. (I'm talking about white-knuckled, nails-dug-in kind of clinging.) Perhaps, it's because there are days when I just want to give up on the belief that what He has promised will come true. But, you know, the amazing thing about waiting on the Lord is that just when I think I have lost all hope, God speaks to me through his Word to remind me that He is a God who fulfills his promises - even to the "shes" of this world!

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV).