Proverbs 31:25 (NLT)
She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
The average American spends $160-$180 per month on clothing and it’s reported that about 40 million of us suffer from an anxiety disorder. It’s a strange combination of facts, I know, but it does reflect something from today’s passage: We may be well dressed and ready for success, but most people don’t really have the “clothes” they need nor do they have much comfort when it comes to their future. It’s a sad state of affairs, indeed.
In his commentary on this passage, Matthew Henry notes that, “Strength and honor are her clothing, in which she wraps herself…and in which she appears to the world. She enjoys a firmness and constancy of mind, has spirit to bear up under the many crosses and disappointments which even the wise and virtuous must expect to meet with in this world; and this is her clothing.” He paints a powerful portrait of a life that is surrendered to Christ and confident in His love and providence.
Our strength comes from the Lord – the maker of heavens and earth and an ever-present help in times of trouble (Ps. 46:1). That reservoir is within us and that reality “clothes” us every day. The dignity that covers us is the excellence and beauty of Christ which has been deposited into our accounts. We have not only been deemed worthy, but exceedingly so. In fact, God finds us so worthy that He was willing to sacrifice himself on a bloody cross to redeem us from our sins (Jn. 3:16). Do you live with that dignity as your present reality?
As Christians, it is critical to remember that we do not operate TOWARDS victory but OUT OF IT. Our salvation has been eternally secured. Our worth was established through our Creator’s blood on a cross two-thousand years ago. Our enemy was defeated when Jesus walked out of his own grave. Our power comes through the Holy Spirit who indwells us constantly. We have an eternal family that will always love and accept us and an eternal future that will fill us with awe and joy and splendor unending. Yes, we live in the here and the now where there is pain and disappointment and grief…but when we stop and think about the brevity of this life in light of the completely outrageous future that every follower of Christ will enjoy, we should be able to put away our fear of the future…and maybe even muster a laugh.
