The Sorrow and Suffering of The Woman
In my travels with Gene the last year I have had the opportunity to teach and fellowship with many women from a variety of countries and cultures. Everywhere I go I am stricken with the difficult lives and painful situations that these women endure. In the best of cirumstances their lives are full of toil and hard work with little or no thanks, love or appreciation. Words like comfort, luxury or pleasure don’t even enter their vocabulary! But beyond these daily conditions of life there are grave circumstances caused by the evils of this world.
It seems there continues to be enmity between Satan and the woman, between his seed and her seed. (Gen 3:15) The ugly head of Satan continues to try to deceive, defeat, discourage and enslave women in every corner of this world. We only need to look at the pressure and attack on women in our own society to know this is true.
But let me bring you beyond the borders of the USA to grasp some of the difficulties that women in other areas face. Last year in Peru I asked one of the pastor’s wives what she felt the women needed to learn from God’s Word. Her answer astonished me as she said, "About 70 percent of the women here have been sexually abused,molested, and raped, generally from their own family members. Can you give them some encouragement and instruction on how to deal with this situation and go on with their lives?" Where will they find someone to lift them up and start them on the road to healing?
In our recent visit to India we shuddered at a newspaper article displaying a picture of a poor little village girl with a frightened look on her face. At this young age she was being married to a dog, also shown in the picture, in a traditional tribal ritual to ward off evil spirits! That explains the frightened look on her young little face! Where will she find hope for her future?
As we ministered to children in the villages of India many Hindu ladies gathered around the porch and listened through the open windows. No doubt, the message of love and forgiveness found only in Christ had drawn them to the church, yet they do not feel free to enter through the door. They are enslaved to idols and a culture that violently frowns on turning from the Hindu religion. How will they find deliverance from the fear and hopelessness of the Hindu gods?
One area we recently visited revealed another horrifying story. The women there are only allowed to have one child. We were asked the pertinent question by Christians, "What is the right thing to do when the woman finds herself pregnant a second or third time?" Gene and I replied that we would keep the child and suffer the consequences. But they were quick to tell us this course of action was not an option to them. As soon as the woman’s growing womb revealed the "illegal" pregnancy she would be physically taken to a forced abortion. But the story gets worse! We were further appalled to hear that some pastors in the area were preaching that these same women (who had been forced into an abortion) were murderers who had lost their salvation. As a result of this they have left the church in despair. Where will they find the love and forgiveness they so desperately need?
At the recent ladies conference in Pakistan some Muslim women joined us for the Bible studies. They are women who suffer a duplicitous life, they are Muslim on the outside but Christian on the inside! Through faith in Jesus Christ their soul has been freed from sin and death! But they know the bitter consequences of outwardly declaring their faith. They have little ones at home they cannot bear the thought of losing. And so for the sake of their children they remain Muslim on the outside and Christian on the inside. Where will they find the strength and comfort of much needed fellowship?
These are just a few of the Satanic situations we have encountered around the world.
So much suffering…so many questions… only one answer! The healing, hope, strength and freedom that these women need can only be found in Jesus Christ and the power of His Living Word! Wherever we go we only have a short time to minister to the women, but in whatever time we have I find such joy in sharing the precious truths of God’s Word with these dear hurting women. Every page of the Bible reveals Jesus Christ to be the source of all healing, the giver of eternal hope, the One who died so that we could live! He alone is our comforter, our strength and the lover of our soul! No one honors and exalts the woman like The Lord Jesus Christ. No culture gives her a place of purpose and praise like a Biblical culture. Nothing can help her to treasure life like the riches of His Word!
Please join me in praying for these women. Their sorrows and sufferings are great, their Saviour is greater still!
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
Nancy Cunningham
Basic Training Bible Ministries