Deborah — A Courageous Woman Who Listened to God
Key Verse: “Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.” — Judges 5:7
Devotional
Deborah lived in a time when the nation of Israel was discouraged, afraid, and oppressed. People didn’t know where to turn or whom to trust. But in the midst of that darkness, God raised up a woman whose strength didn’t come from position, power, or title — it came from His voice.
She sat beneath her palm tree, listening to God and offering wisdom to anyone who came. Her leadership wasn’t loud. It wasn’t forceful. It didn’t demand attention. It flowed out of a heart that stayed close to the Lord.
When God told her to call Barak and command him into battle, she obeyed without hesitation. Deborah wasn’t fearless because she was strong in herself — she was fearless because she trusted the God who spoke to her. And when Barak asked her to go with him, she went, not as a warrior, but as God’s steady presence.
Deborah reminds us that true spiritual strength comes from listening. Her courage was rooted in obedience, not pride. She was a leader because she was first a worshiper. She was a prophet because she was first a listener. She was a judge because she was first a woman who honored God with all her heart.
Key Verse: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” — Ruth 1:16
Reflection Questions
- Where is God asking you to listen more carefully to His voice?
- Has God ever asked you to step into something that felt bigger than you?
- Who in your life needs the steady, peaceful strength God has placed within you?
- In what ways can you be a “mother in Israel” — a woman who brings courage, wisdom, and peace to others?
Ruth — A Faithful Woman Whose Heart God Saw
Devotional
Ruth wasn’t born into the family of God — she chose Him. When life fell apart and her husband died, she stood at a crossroads. She could return to her old home, her old life, and her old gods… or she could walk into an unknown future with Naomi and trust the God of Israel.
Ruth chose faithfulness over comfort. She chose love over ease. She chose God over the familiar. That one decision changed the entire direction of her life. She didn’t know she would meet Boaz, or be protected, or be provided for. She didn’t know she would become the great-grandmother of King David. She simply obeyed the tug in her heart — and God honored her.
God loves a faithful woman. He sees loyalty. He sees commitment. He sees quiet, everyday obedience. Ruth didn’t perform miracles or preach sermons. She just lived faithfully — and God built a future through her that she could not have imagined.
Ruth reminds us that God does His greatest work through ordinary women with steady hearts. Faithfulness in the small things opens the door to God’s big things.
Reflection Questions
- Where in your life is God asking you to walk forward in faith even when the path is uncertain?
- How have you seen God honor your faithfulness in small things?
- Is there someone you feel God calling you to stand beside—like Ruth stood beside Naomi?
- What part of Ruth’s story encourages you the most today?
The Strength God Built into You
Key Verse: “I will make him a helper suitable for him.” — Genesis 2:18Devotional
When God looked at Adam standing alone in the garden, He didn’t see weakness — He saw incompleteness. So He created woman, not as an accessory, not as an assistant, but as an ezer — a word God uses for Himself. This word means strong support, life-saving help, and the steady strength that steps in when human strength is not enough.
God designed woman with courage, discernment, tenderness, spiritual insight, and stability that reflect His heart. You were never meant to be beneath or behind — but beside. A partner in purpose. A strength that corresponds perfectly with the call God placed on humanity.
You are not “less.” You are not “extra.” You are God-designed strength. Breathe this in: God sees you as an expression of His own helping strength — His ezer-heart made visible on earth.
Reflection Questions
- Where have you seen God use your strength to support someone you love?
- How does knowing the word “ezer” is used for God change the way you see yourself?
- In what ways is God calling you to walk in your God-given strength today?
- What areas of your life feel unstable — where God may want to pour His strength through you?