joy, Strength, Wisdom, Loyalty, Faith

     I  saw the following posted on Facebook and decided to share it, along with my own additional comments.

            I want: "The joy of Sarah,

                         The strength of Deborah,

                         The wisdom of Esther,

                         The loyalty of Ruth,

                         The faith of Mary."

Now, I ask, "Why was Sarah so joyful?  According to scripture readings, Sarah had always wanted a child but had been barren.  When she was 90 years old, the Lord blessed her with a son, Isaac.  Although we do not understand God's perception of time, what woman, after longing for years for a child for years, would not have been joyful.   Genesis 21:6 "⁶ And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me."   

What was Deborah's strength?  Deborah was a prophetess in Israel, and the children of Israel came to her for judgment as found in  Judges 4:5.  Then in verse 6 and 7 we find that she called Barak and said unto him, "Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, 'Go and draw toward  Mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men...and I will draw the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him unto your hand.' "  Barak was obviously doubtful, for he told Deborah he would do as she asked, but only if she went with him.  Her reply is found in verse 9, "I will surely go with thee."

Next we come to the wisdom of Esther.  Esther was wise in that she was always obedient toward Mordeccai, a Jew who had raised her.  Though her wisdom, learned from obedience and fasting to God, she was able to deliver the Jews from peril and destruction.  In the story of Esther, Mordeccai requested she not tell the King she was a Jew.  Later, when the Jews were threatened with death, she was presented with another and different request from Mordeccai.  After praying and fasting, Esther chose the right moment to reveal her identity to the King and thus save her people. 

I believe, we have all heard the story of Ruth.  Ruth was a daughter-in-law to Naomi, and Naomi lived in a distant land away from her people.  Her husband and Ruth's husband had both died, and Naomi wanted to return to the land of her own people.  Ruth was willing to leave her own mother and father and go with Naomi.  When Naomi confronted Ruth about returning to her own people, Ruth said, "Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."

Can anyone even began to imagine what Mary, a virgin, felt like when she was told she would bare a Son?  Yet, Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word..."  At a very young age, Mary showed the depth of her faith.   Again, we see her faith even before Jesus performed His first miracle.   She was helping to host a wedding and ran out of wine.  Mary had faith that Jesus would take care of the situation as she instructed the servants, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it."   And, shouldn't that be what we tell others daily?  "Whatsoever He saith, do it."