It's All About a Pattern

When we look at Proverbs 31, we are looking not at what this woman does in the natural, but rather a pattern of God's design for our spiritual lives.  Throughout the Scriptures, we are referred to as the Bride of Christ....therefore in the feminine.  God (and His Son Jesus) spoke to people using pictures, symbols, parables etc. in order to understand spiritual concepts.  This was done using things the people of that time would be able to relate to and therefore clearly understand what God was saying to them.  This is what we have in relation to Proverbs 31 and therefore it requires us to go back in time to understand some of these types and pictures.

In these verses, we are seeing God's pattern for our lives both individually and corporately as well as His mission for us as His Bride.  For those who are familiar with sewing, you can understand the importance of a pattern.  In order to create the object desired one must lay the pattern out on the material to cut around it in order to achieve the finished design we are after.  It is the same principle when it comes to God's pattern for us.  He has an end design in mind but it requires the laying of His "pattern" on us (the material) to achieve His end goal/ design.  It won't work by laying ourselves on His pattern but rather we must lay down our selves/our lives first and then have His pattern placed upon us.  As we do this, He can begin cutting out and applying that pattern so we begin taking on His image.  In fact, it is His image that is made distinct and our image fades away into the background.  His material is a fine linen indicating purity and righteousness and the completed garment is what we are to be clothed in.

May each of us willingly lay ourselves down and allow His intended purposes to be woven in and designed within us so that He may be clearly seen.