“Life is full of disappointments.”
This is the “wise counsel” many women receive as we mature and are sideswiped by those moments that leave us in shock, holding our broken hearts in trembling hands. Frustrations and anger rise as we see the stories on the news. The details and opinions litter our feed.
Sure, the tales are varied—different names, different faces—but a constant theme remains.
Women aren’t always seen treated as valued members of society.
In the aftermath, we find ourselves murmuring a simple refrain—”It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
Whether it’s the stories of violence and assault, injustices in the workplace, or the demeaning views that seep into our everyday interactions, it’s clear sin has infiltrated the way women are viewed and treated. Even among the well-meaning, many women often find themselves maligned for the attributes that reflect the Creator. External pressures are compounded by pain, loss, betrayal and unmet expectations.
But in the midst of pain and suffering, the good news is that in a world that seems to hurl disappointment and discouragement at women on a regular basis, it is still possible to remain confident in Jesus—the faithful One who has an unwavering commitment to bring about His plan for your life.
For I know the thoughts that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you shall call upon Me, and you shall come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you (Jer. 29:11-12).
Despite what the enemy would like us to believe and society tries to reinforce, women can have absolute confidence in the plan of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love (Eph. 1:3-4).
Although there are many days that try and test us, the plan Jesus is bringing about will far outweigh every act of evil, neglect, stupidity and callousness we face in this life. The one with all power and authority not only rights our wrongs, but also the wrongs done against us. And He is the one who has destined us for greatness.
Sometimes that hope seems fleeting—a little too good to even dare to believe it’s true. And if it weren’t backed by God—the one who swears by His own name—then it would be. But the Shepherd we follow has experience in leading women, through the valley and over the rockiest terrain.
Throughout the Bible, we see the excellence of our Good Shepherd as He leads His followers through disappointment, pain, and even trauma.
In these moments, His gentleness and care becomes extremely evident in the life of the broken and hurting.
With the widow, the orphan, the accused, Jesus reaches into the mass of pain and confusion to gently save, cleanse, heal and restore. Our leader brings all of His healing power into our weakness and brokenness, bringing about His plan and ushering us into what He has designed for us.
He carefully takes the crushing blows we encounter and dismantles them, pulling out the pieces that can be used in the new thing He’s building, displaying His ability to redeem every hardship and injustice and grow us to minister to others.
Take Leah, For Instance
Leah experienced this reality firsthand.
Her husband, Jacob, who was tricked into marrying her, really only ever wanted to marry her younger sister Rachel. The Bible has good things to say about Rachel and how Jacob loved and desired her. We’re left to guess about his feelings for Leah. Married to a man who seemed comfortable having children with her, without fully loving her, Leah’s resilience for life shows the fingerprints of our great Redeemer.
While many may see Leah as an undesired option that Jacob endured, to Jesus she is a willing woman, who, despite her own pain and heartache, followed the Lord through years of struggle to arrive in a place of praise.
When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me.”
She conceived again and gave birth to a son and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I was unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” Then she called his name Simeon.
She conceived again and gave birth to a son and said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi (Gen. 29:31-34).
More than just some bygone tale, the path of Leah’s life is a reflection of our God who is not intimidated by the hard moments we face. Jesus doesn’t see it as an inconvenience to show how He loves and provides and cares for women as He Himself fulfills the roles others are committed to filling in our lives.
To the Lord, Leah wasn’t an understudy or a last-round pick. She was His choice for setting the foundation for what was to come for His people, as she helped raise Levi and Judah to be men who followed after the one true God.
Regardless of how she was treated by the person she may have hoped to have trusted the most, the Lord brought about His plan for her life, showing Himself as her bridegroom, King and judge.
As a bridegroom, the Lord showed His kindness to Leah, protecting her and celebrating her. As a King, He displayed His power to bless Leah, intervening in her situation by ruling in her present and elevating her. And as a judge, the Lord overturned what Leah’s own husband had planned, which would’ve resulted in her own shame.
Our God did not hesitate to make His favor evident over Leah’s life and bring about His plan for her.
Despite the real disappointments of marriage, the Lord intervened and gave her a reason to rejoice. The Lord filled Leah with His lavish love resulting in an authentic praise arising from her soul.
The woman who was loved least by her husband was a woman seen by God, covered by God, chosen by God, and used by God to bring forth His plan for her life and the earth.
From heaven’s perspective, the tale of Leah’s life is not one of sadness, but instead displays the Lord’s ability to redeem women from broken situations and lead us into wholeness.
Thousands of years later, He is still the God whose plans far exceeds our circumstances. He is still the one who can say, without reservation, “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed nor be humiliated; for you shall not be put to shame … For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He shall be called the God of the whole earth” (Is. 54:4-5).
Jesus already knows who He’s created us to be. He knows who we really are regardless of what we’ve done and what’s been done to us. As He leads us along that path to better see Him, we in turn are better able to see ourselves and know who we really are in Him.
God’s destiny for women is for us to be honored, loved, treasured, adored and anointed to do the works of the Kingdom with power as we reflect His nature to the broken and hurting.
As we see the one who is faithful and true, we are better able to trust that He will bring about His good plan for our lives.
In the midst of the hard and impossible moments of life, we can cling to the truth that the greatest Man to ever walk the earth sees, knows and will restore. He desires to honor, bless and love us—unrelated to our accomplishments, ability, looks, title or talent.
Despite the tears, heartache and pain, we too can cry out—even if it’s in a hoarse whisper—”Speak, your servant is listening,” and know that the plan of God is greater than every pitfall, setback, disappointment or heartache we could face. The God of the impossible, Leah’s Redeemer, still speaks today, lifting our heads to see His plan and acts of deliverance and restoration.
Today, for the overlooked, the Lord says you are seen.
For the undesired, you are chosen.
For the forgotten, you are known.
For the unworthy, you’ve been qualified.
For the unwanted, you are the Lord’s.
For the ashamed, the dirty, the suffering, and the lonely, the Lord still speaks today, desiring to be your bridegroom, King and judge and bring about His plan of peace, restoration,and wholeness, so we too can say, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Ps. 23:4-5).
In which areas of your life do you feel the Lord urging you to surrender to His leadership? {eoa}
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Fia Curley serves on the NightWatch at IHOPKC, participating in prayer, worship, and intercession from midnight to 6am. She enjoys blending her passion for prayer, worship, and journalism as she labors with the Lord to see His goodness revealed to families, government leaders, and immigrants from non-Christian nations.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
