A Grandmother’s Prayers 祖母的祷告

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Dexu Xia

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Jun 28, 2025, 5:09:20 PM6/28/25

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A wife of noble character . . . gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family. Proverbs 31:10, 15

Today's Insights Proverbs 31:10 opens by asking who can find a “wife of noble character.” The Hebrew behind the phrase is interesting, translated literally as “a woman of valor.” Throughout the Old Testament, we meet various “men of valor.” They’re warriors like King Saul (1 Samuel 9:1-2) and King David (16:18), and they’re the heads of Israel’s tribes (1 Chronicles 5:24; 7:2; 8:40). The phrase “wife [woman] of noble character” appears only three times in the Bible—twice in Proverbs (12:4; 31:10) and once in Ruth 3:11. In Ruth, the words come from the mouth of Boaz as he recognizes the Herculean effort that Ruth has put forth to save not only the life of her mother-in-law, Naomi, but also her husband’s legacy. She may not have stood on a battlefield with sword in hand, but Ruth earned her title by setting aside her self-interests for the sake of others. This was the choice of Jesus and our calling too—caring for God given family members and others as well.

Today's Devotional During a family reunion many years ago, my mother shared some words she’d written. She honored her grandmother, a woman I’d never met but I’d heard her spoken of often. Mom wrote that she recalled Mama Susan getting up “before dawn” and praying over her household. What a distinct memory that impacted my mother’s life—one I cling to even today although I never met my great-grandmother.

This description reminds me of the woman described in Proverbs 31. She cared for her family in many tangible ways, and she got up “while it [was] still night” (v. 15). She had plenty to do to care for her family, such as providing food, purchasing land, planting a vineyard, making profitable trades, sewing clothes, and finishing many other tasks—all in the name of caring for the ones she loved. And she even extended her resourcefulness to “the poor and . . . the needy” (v. 20).

Helping to care for a household during the time of the writing of Proverbs 31 was no easy feat, as demonstrated from the long list of duties described in this passage. And it wasn’t an easy feat for my great-grandmother, who was born in the 1800s. But prayers whispered early in the morning—as well as throughout the day—kept these women focused and encouraged as God helped them live out their calling to care for their family and others.

Reflect & Pray

How do you stay encouraged as you complete your daily tasks? How can praying early and regularly help you?

Holy God, thank You for the women and men who faithfully care for their families. Please help me do the same. By Katara Patton

”才德的妇人，谁能得着呢？她的价值远胜过珍珠。……天未亮她就起来，把食物分给家中的人。“（箴言 31:10, 15 ）

今日经文：箴言 31章10-18 节

今日心得：箴言 31章 10节开句就问，谁能得着“贤德的妻子”。这短语背后的希伯来语很有意思，直译的意思是“勇敢的妇人”。在旧约中我们经常见到各种各样的“勇士”。他们是像扫罗王和大卫王那样的战士（撒母耳记上 9:1-2，16:18），也是以色列各支派的首领（历代志上 5:24；7:2；8:40）。“贤德的妻子”这个短语在圣经中只出现过三次，两次出现在箴言（12:4；31:10），一次出现在路得记3:11。在路得记中，这句话出自波阿斯之口，因为他知道，路得付出巨大的努力，不仅是为了救婆婆拿俄米的命，也是为了赎回丈夫的遗产。她或许没有手持利剑站在战场上，但是路得为了他人的利益而放弃自己的利益，从而赢得了这个头衔。

为着神赐下的家人以及他人的好处而放弃自己的利益，这是耶稣的选择，也是我们的呼召。

今日灵修多年前，在一次家庭聚会中，我母亲分享了她写下来的一些话。她尊敬她的祖母，一位我从未见过但经常听到人提起的女人。妈妈写道，她记得苏珊妈妈“黎明前”就起床为家人祷告。这段记忆深刻地影响了我母亲的一生，尽管我从未见过我的曾祖母，但至今我对她仍记忆犹新。

这段描述让我想起了箴言31章中描述的那位妇女。她用许多切实的方式照顾家人，并且“天还未亮的时候”（15节）就起来。为了照顾家人，她做了很多事，比如准备食物、购买土地、栽种葡萄园、做些赚钱的生意、缝制衣服，以及完成许多其他工作，所有这些都是为了照顾她所爱的人。她甚至将自己的才智扩展到“贫穷和……穷乏人”（20节）。

在箴言31章写作的时代，帮助照顾一个家庭绝非易事，这段经文中列出的一长串职责就足以证明这一点。对于出生于19世纪的曾祖母来说，照顾一个家庭，更不是一件容易的事。然而，清晨以及一整天不住地低声祷告，让这些女性保持专注，并受到励激，因为上帝帮助她们履行照顾家人和他人的使命。

反思与祷告你如何在完成日常事务时保持被激励？清晨和日常有规律的祷告如何帮到你？圣洁的主，我为那些忠心照顾家人的男女向您感恩。请帮助我也这样忠心地照顾家人。