Some Whom He Has Used

May 2020 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Some Whom He Has Used

The theme for the Feature articles this month is “Older Women In Scripture.” A number of examples and lists of their characteristics are clearly presented in the articles. These provide valuable instruction to each one of us for proper application as to our place and responsibilities before the Lord.

There are a number of older women whom the Lord has used in personal and private ways to impact my life for Him. I could probably write a lengthy list of what they have done for me, but their examples in two areas stand out. First, they love the Lord Jesus and truly know Him as their Lord and Savior. This has affected their walk in such powerful ways that even unbelievers recognize the faithfulness of these women. They simply let their “light so shine before men,” and men see the “good works and glorify [the] Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16 NKJV).

Second, these women have a faithful and consistent prayer life. They seem to be very interested in me as a person and as a believer, and seek in quiet ways to encourage me. While they may not be taken up with world affairs, they enter into the Lord’s sorrow regarding the wickedness of man and his rejection of God’s love (23:37). The intimacy these women have with the Lord in prayer is evident in their lives, without their making any such claim. Their comments are not centered on themselves; the Lord is the center of their conversation, as we will be reminded in the articles that follow.

One lady who was a great influence passed into the presence of the Lord more than 30 years ago. Like all the women whom I recognize as having been used by the Lord in my life, I have special memories of her. At the time when the Lord took her to Himself, we lived hundreds of miles apart and only saw each other a few times each year. Her mind was often confused about current matters, but in the days and weeks after she died, the absence of her prayers for me seemed to be felt. The Lord used her life even then to impress on me the value and necessity of prayer in my own life, and its effect on me personally and for others. Although I am still a work in progress, this is one of the many lessons learned from the Lord through the blessing that faithful, older women have been to me.

By Paul Alberts