Are You an ‘Ezer’?
By Marilynn Chadwick
Everything God created was good. But he looked at Adam and said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Something was missing. So God said: "I will make a helper who is just right for him” (Genesis 2:18 NLT, emphasis added).
God created woman from the very stuff of man – his same substance: “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs … Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:21-22).
Marriage was God’s gift to the humans. Eve was Adam’s companion, but the Bible also calls her his helper. In Hebrew, “helper,” or ezer, means “to support.” It’s a combination of two roots: “to rescue, to save,” and “to be strong.” The word ezer most often refers to God as the helper, usually in times of danger or battle.
When you grasp what it means to be an ezer, you begin to get an image of your role as a rock, not a doormat. Your challenge is to become strong so that you are a source of strength for a husband who will sometimes be weak.
I’ve learned that an important part of showing honorto a strong husband like David is to be his “rock of support” when everything around him feels like it’s crashing down.
Think about what it means to be strong like a rock for our husbands, families, and communities. Lord knows we need more women who are willing to live strong as ezers in this hurting and broken world.
Simplify your prayer life with three words
Prayer is vital to our spiritual health. It's so important that 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” Yet we often find it difficult to follow that command. Relationships and responsibilities vie for our attention, and prayer often gets placed on the back-burner. But it’s possible to make 2019 your year of focused and increased prayer!
David Chadwick’s latest booklet, 3-Word Prayers, can help you do just that. It suggests a power-packed approach to prayer that cuts through life’s busyness. And, it’s as simple as 1-2-3—just trim your prayers to three words.
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