On the Other Side of the Garden—2nd Edition and Victorious Women, which have now been merged in On the Other Side of the Garden of Eden, all contain information about God’s creation of the woman and His design for marriage. However, my earnest desire for each woman who reads them is not just for her to have a happy marriage. Beyond that, my soul earnestly yearns for her to know, trust, and depend on God in every situation of her life.
The lack of knowing God is the foremost cause of a Christian woman’s not already trusting and depending on Him in all situations. Her lack of dependence on God causes her daily decisions to waver between worldly philosophies and what she knows about Him (see James 1:5-8). But, how does she grow to know God? Through His word! Reading, contemplating, praying about, and most of all believing in His word is crucial for every Christian woman. There is nothing more important in life than this! It is not her marriage, not her children, and especially not the world’s values which oppose His very existence and the communication He has graciously given to us. He gave us His word so that we may know Him and His wisdom, which is counter to the wisdom of the world.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever (Psalm 111:10).
For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her (Proverbs 8:11).
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17).
Since our salvation through Christ, my husband and I have been in many situations where we needed to rely on God and His will. Those times of great need caused us to desire a better understanding of what it means to trust in Him. Therefore, my husband began a biblical study about trust and discovered five different Hebrew words that God used for faith and trust in the Old Testament. I pray that his research will help anyone reading this article.
The simplest type of faith is the acceptance of God’s salvation plan; the belief of Genesis 15:6 compared to Romans 4:3. The Hebrew word used here, AMAN, means, “I believe it!” This is what one does when he says that he “believes” that Jesus is the Christ; the Son of God who was virgin born, died on the cross for his sins, was buried and rose again, and is now at the right hand of God the Father.
I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12).
The second level of trust is represented by the Hebrew word, CHASAH. This word describes the dependence on a place of hiding and safety during a time of danger.
O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me (Psalm 7:1).
He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler (Psalm 91:4).
This type of trust describes the safety a rabbit has when he runs into the cleft of a rock for protection. We realize this level of trust when we flee to Him for protection in times of known danger.
The third level of trust is represented by the Hebrew word, BATACH. This word means to lean on, have confidence in, and have a total dependence on His care. It is the casting of all our cares on Him—even those we might be able to handle ourselves. This type of trust believes in Him concerning even the unknown future.
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5).
This level of trust allows a woman to leave her life completely in the Lord’s hands to do with her as He wills. She is able to do this because she trusts Him to bring His way to pass without her needing to interject her own will.
The fourth Hebrew word for an even higher level of trust, QAVAH, is comparable to a cord used for heavy binding. This is like a rope that has been woven together with many small cords and is therefore unbreakable.
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).
The Hebrew word translated “wait” in this verse, is from this word for a strong rope. When we study all of the times this word is used in the Old Testament; it pictures a believer’s trust that has become unbreakable because of experiencing God’s deliverance over, over, and over again.
When a woman runs into the “cleft of a rock” many times and experiences God’s protection and love, a cord in her rope of faith is formed. Cords are also formed when she casts all her cares on Him and sees Him work “all things together for good”; according to His will. These many cords of trust then weave together to make a stronger rope of faith within her that cannot be broken.
Finally, there is the Hebrew word signifying the result of maximum trust, YACHAL. This word means to wait and trust God in confidence even during the maximum pressures of life. It is the level of trust that allowed Job to say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15a).
It is vital to realize that none of these levels of faith are, or ever can be, manufactured by human ability. It is not our faith that is strong; it is the object of our faith that is— such as faith in the Person of Jesus or in God’s character behind His promises.
AMAN is simply, “to believe it or accept it as truth.” You also, do not manufacture a place to hide; God is the place of safety and rest. You can only take refuge in Him. Neither can you make a rope of faith on your own. The cable is built within your soul as you recognize God’s deliverance time and time again. Trusting God frees a Christian woman from her fleshly attempts to please Him. That trust prevents her from worrying about what will happen in the future if she dares to die to self and believe in His will for her life.
It is this type of faith that I pray each reader of my books receives from God. I pray that a woman does not just learn a system or rules to follow, but instead that she becomes more trusting of God in every situation in her life. Therefore, when I receive a letter from a woman who says she has “learned to lean on God from whom comes all wisdom and strength,” and another who says she has been “drawn closer to the Lord,” my heart leaps for joy. Tears come to my eyes and I praise God when a woman writes that He, not my words, has become her strength, and that He has transformed her life as she has trusted Him in all things.
It is my prayer that God will continue to enlighten many Christian women with His message, and that He will work through them to be a testimony of His faithfulness.
To Him be the Glory and Honor forever. Amen!
Virginia Ruth Fugate