A Prayer for Women
(image from Wonder Woman 2017, Warner Bros)
You probably saw the Wonder Woman posters earlier this year. I loved one in particular. In it, she is standing slightly side-on; still, but poised to move. She is in part-silhouette but you can make out the industrial angles of her boots and armour. One hand makes a fist, the other holds a sword. Behind her the colours suggest fire, with blue sky beyond the flames. Below her the words: Power, Grace, Wisdom, Wonder.
Those words, that image, stuck in my mind. And from that came a prayer.
A prayer for women. May you know the power of the Almighty God. The God who spoke the heavens into being and who holds the world in the palm of His hand. The God who splits seas, who has brought down city walls with worship music, who has placed life into the wombs of barren women, who has conquered death. May you live empowered by the God who brings about seemingly impossible things. Like Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus, blinking in amazement at her Lord risen from the dead, may you too see first-hand the miraculous power of our God. See it in the little things, the big things, the hidden things, the seen things. And like Mary, may you be forever changed by your encounter with His power: “I have seen the Lord!” May you experience the grace of our ever-loving God. The God who is Love, and who tore open the fabric of heaven, smashing down the barriers of sin and distance so we could know this Love and know it up close. The God who, in Jesus, made it possible for our deepest regrets and darkest shame to be cast far away, so no matter how far we’ve fallen, how low we’ve sunk, how dirty our hands or overwhelming our guilt, we can come to Jesus and be made whole. May you, like the woman in the dirt at Jesus’ feet, hear His words of loving mercy so loudly they drown out any chorus of condemnation from the world, and witness His hands writing a new story for your life. A story of mercy and no shame, wrapped in His holiness, sitting on the lap of your gracious God. May you carry the wisdom of our all-knowing God. The God who fashioned creation, who arranged atoms in perfect balance and who has guided His people through wilderness, deserts and storms. The God who spoke life-changing truth to the people who flocked around Jesus, and who still speaks truth to His people today. May you, like Deborah the prophet and judge, have open ears and sharp eyes to hear His voice and see His signposts. May you be guided by the Spirit at every juncture; may you know things beyond the material, sense things beyond the physical. May you carry His wisdom through your own wilderness, deserts and storms, secure in His hand, firm in His truth. And finally, may you live a life of wonder in the bright beaming light of our wonderful, glorious God. May you never lose your awe in the One who never ceases to amaze. May you see His beauty in the everyday, hear His tender voice in the clatter of your chaos and live with His perspective whether life seems bright or grey. May you, like Moses’ sister Miriam on the banks of the Red Sea, feet dry and eyes wide, celebrate our God with awe and wonder. May you never forget His faithfulness, never grow blind to His brilliance. Ready your voice, beat your drum, pick up your paintbrush, open your home, poise your pen, strap on your dancing shoes in worship. And live in wonder. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…” Ephesians 6:10-18
Jill is one of the leaders of Redhill Church in Canberra and also works in government human resources. She likes satire, winter, writing and learning things. She occasionally blogs at jillianreaysmith.com
