Peace in Submission
Peace in Submission
In my Bible reading today I noticed an interesting verse in 1Peter 3…
1Peter 3:5-6 – For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
This passage is about marriage and Peter speaks about how Sarah adorned herself (made herself beautiful) by the submission and the honor she showed to her husband Abraham. While Sarah was a physically beautiful woman, her true beauty was in her honor to Abraham and her faithful submission to him. So much is said about how faithful Abraham was to God by obeying God to leave his family, moving far away, and believing God for so much. But at the same time much should be said about his other half Sarah who was with him during the entire journey and we read never objected once to Abraham’s faith and obedience. And even in Sarah’s old age she was still considered beautiful by the world around her (Genesis 20).
“Do not fear anything that is frightening.” I like how the Bible is real in saying that there are indeed things out there that are frightening to man, but at the same time if we are walking in submission then God’s protection and safety are promised to us. This whole passage, in fact from 1Peter 2:12 – 1Peter 3:18, was all based on submission and trusting in the goodness and the faithfulness of God. Peter exhorts us to submit to the leaders God has put over us and to trust that as we obey and show honor that God will in turn cover us and bless us. The funny thing is, God doesn’t promise we will never “be hurt” by submitting, but God still promises that in the end we will be blessed and we will be able to live fearlessly…
1Peter 3:14 – But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.
God cannot bless rebellion! He CANNOT bless rebellion!!! This is why submission is so powerful and so important. It becomes a true test of whether we believe in God’s goodness for our lives… that even when our spouse or our leader seems shaky, as long as we choose honor and not rebellion then God will bless us in the end. It doesn’t mean blind and ignorant submission or not having a voice, but it does mean that when the leader (husband, person in authority) has made the decision then there will be full submission and honor. And even if we may have to suffer for a moment, we will be blessed. =)
And as we grow in our trust in God’s goodness as we submit and do not rebel, then we are able to truly become fearless to the things of this world. The things that once seemed frightening no longer have any power over us. We know that even if it seems like we’ve fallen off of a cliff that God’s angels are catching us and God is going to turn it all for our good. We are safe as we submit!
