Only One Life: How A Woman’s Every Day Shapes An Eternal LegacySample

Wisdom in Action

Deborah appears at a dark time in Israel’s history. The nation had turned its back on God. His chosen people were polarized, passive, and fearful. A fog of compromise and despair had settled over the land. Their forefathers had entered this land of promise with lofty, God-planted dreams. Over several centuries, the memory of that dream faded. Crime devastated the economy as lawlessness turned once-happy villages into ghost towns. 

In this hopeless and desperate situation, God raised up Deborah as his spokesperson. People from Israel’s twelve tribes came to her seeking counsel. However, it was not enough to provide wisdom to the people. There was war and oppression and enemies bent on Israel’s destruction. 

Deborah encourages Barak to lead a makeshift army cobbled together from the farmers and craftsmen of the tribes. Deborah inspires Barak with God’s word. Barak is fully prepared to take his men into battle, but he has one demand. Deborah must accompany them. Deborah assents and joins them on the battlefield.

Before the sun sets, Israel has won a great victory. The enemy is so shattered that peace and prosperity characterize the lives of an entire generation of Israelites in this region. 

There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible, and only two are devoted to Deborah’s actions. Even so, more than three thousand years later they remain a rich source of wisdom and insight for women willing to be used by God to restore and defend their communities. 

We too live in a culture that has seemingly lost its way. Good people feel under siege. Many are stressed out and even fearful. Many sense a spirit of lawlessness on the rise. 

While we won’t be taking up arms like Deborah, we can and must take to our knees. The prayer of a godly woman “avails much,” but we wield even greater power when we pray together, united with faith and purpose.

In every era, dark times place a demand on good women to rise up and lead others in righting societal wrongs and curing cultural ills. In every generation, we need women like Deborah who are willing to dig deep into God’s Word and proclaim it. Our times are calling for all Christian women to rouse themselves and hear a call to defend what is under attack and restore what has been desolated.