Gentle And Quiet Spirit

By Janelle Hill

There are three girls in my family. One of my sisters and I talk a fair bit (our husbands might say that we talk a lot, but it’s all a matter of opinion!) My other sister talks when there is something useful to say. We all have different personalities and ways of communicating.
The Bible says this of women: ‘Instead, your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God’s sight’. (1 Peter 3:4)

So what does this mean? Was Peter just old fashioned or chauvinistic? Are only shy, retiring women beautiful or godly?

When women get together, there is sometimes an under-current in the conversation – frustration or scorn for the men in their lives, fear and anxiety about money, the children, the balance of work and home life. As we rush around our lives, falling into bed at the end of the day, our mind can be constantly troubled by these feelings of frustration, anger, fear and worry. There is a sense of agitation and tension that can be so constant that we may not even be aware of it.

I am sure that this was part of the problem Peter was addressing. He provided an answer to the common plight of women. Constant anger or worry wears us down, and destroys both relationships and health. But, there is an answer! God is well able to free us and heal our hearts so that anger and scorn are replaced by gentleness, and fear and worry are replaced by quietness.

Following on from the verse above, Peter goes on to speak about the example of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. She was told by God that she would have a son. From this son would arise the ancient nation of Israel, the modern Jews, and eventually the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The only problem was that Sarah was getting on in years, and the older she grew the less possible was the birth of a baby. In the end, Sarah was 99 years old when her son, Isaac, was finally born!!

In Sarah, we see an example of a woman who learned what it meant to have a ‘gentle and quiet spirit’. She was not born this way, but as she walked through the various experiences in her life, she learned to trust in the Lord, and to trust in her husband, Abraham. She was able to believe that God would bring to pass something that, in human terms, was impossible. The apostle Paul said of Abraham and Sarah that they were ‘fully persuaded that what God had promised, He is also able to do’.
(Rom 4:21)

As women, we can also learn as Sarah did, to find that gentle and quiet spirit. Is not this what we all secretly long for? – true rest. Rest on the inside!
So how do we become gentle and quiet?

Trying not to worry, or thinking nice thoughts does not bring true peace in our hearts and minds. Trying harder is impossible to maintain, and merely increases our unrest. Surrendering control to God is our starting point. Just like Sarah, we can believe that what God says, will actually happen. Then, as we earnestly desire His will, committing our demand for control, our anxiety, and angers to Him, we can see Him replace them with quietness and rest. This will happen as we hear and receive what He has to say to us as we live and relate amongst His people and in our homes.

Just like Sarah, we are on a journey. As we walk through each experience in our lives, we can commit ourselves to God, believing that He is able to place His life into our life. Only God’s life is able to truly be gentle and quiet. Can we believe that His life is able to come into us bringing true rest for our souls?