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For over 25 years Proverbs 31 Ministries' mission has been to intersect God's Word in the real, hard places we all struggle with. That's why we started this podcast. Every episode will feature a variety of teachings from president Lysa TerKeurst, staff members or friends of the ministry who can teach you something valuable from their vantage point. We hope that regardless of your age, background or stage of life, it's something you look forward to listening to each month!
Kaley Olson: Hello friends and welcome back to the Proverbs 31 Ministries podcast where we share biblical truth for any girl in any season. I'm your host,
I'm your host, Kaley Olson, and I'm here today with my co-host, Meredith Brock, and we are so glad you've joined us today. At Proverbs 31 Ministries, our mission is to help women know the truth and live the truth because it changes everything. We believe that when a woman is changed because of God's truth, that ripple effect transforms her relationships, her family, and her community too. That starts right here with you listening to this podcast today. So Meredith, why don't you do the honors and tell them a little bit about what they're going to hear?
Meredith Brock: Oh boy, ladies, get ready because this is a good one. A little tender for me, I would say, because we have our friend Erin Rae Peace on and she is gonna unpack the passage in Mark 5 all about a very tangible, very clear example of how much Jesus treasures women, how much he prioritizes them and values them
And I think it doesn't matter what stage of life you're in as a woman, what your background is, it is really easy to devalue ourselves and to miss the great value Jesus places on us. So I think it's a good one. I really, really hope it speaks to your hearts today.
Kaley Olson: Yeah, yeah. Such rich discussion, Meredith.
Guys, before we dive into our teaching, I wanted to share a testimony that we recently received from a listener. She says, "I've struggled with understanding how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. This podcast was such an eye-opening experience. I finally get it. Thank you so much.
I recommend this entire podcast to any Christian who is seeking to understand God's word and teachings more deeply. These kinds of stories are only possible because of those of you who faithfully support Proverbs 31 Ministries financially. Your generosity allows women around the world to access free, biblically sound resources like this podcast.
If you're listening and that's you, if you've given to Proverbs 31 Ministries, I pray that this short testimony encourages your heart as you witness your giving in action. Now let's jump into today's teaching with our new friend, Erin Rae Peace.
Well, we are so excited to welcome our friend Erin Rae Peace to the show today. Erin joins us from Convoy of Hope, where she serves as the international program ambassador in her role there. She has the opportunity to serve as an advocate and representative, traveling to various program countries and educating others on convoys, children's feeding, agriculture, and women's empowerment initiatives. Erin Rae, welcome to the show today. We're excited you're here.
Erin Rae: Thank you so much for having me. Good to be here.
Kaley Olson: Awesome. Before we get into your teaching, I think it's important to help you understand what Convoy of Hope does as an organization. And it's actually remarkable. Meredith and I got introduced to them a couple years ago, and we were just blown away by their impact. But Convoy of Hope is a faith-based humanitarian organization on a mission to feed the hungry and bring hope to communities who need it most. So when a disaster strikes, when communities are in need, Convoy of Hope is there stepping in. In America and around the world, the work that they're doing is truly an extension of the hands and feet of Jesus. And as a ministry, we're honored to get to partner with them in the work they do. And so while Proverbs 31 is on a mission to ensure that the spiritual hunger women are experiencing today is met through free resources we provide like this podcast, Convoy of Hope is meeting the physical needs with the hope of the gospel. And today, Erin Rae, we're so excited you're here because you get to do some ministry to our audience starting here on this podcast. And so friends listening, I pray that you'll lean into her message as she shares what God has put on our heart. So Erin Rae, you can go ahead and take it away.
Erin Rae: My friend recently felt prompted to gift me a beautiful canvas art print of a woman being held and embraced by Jesus. I had no words as I opened it, just pure, raw emotion that swept over me. The tears began to flow and there was no stopping them. You know how that is. The only way I could describe it was as if years and years had passed carrying a ton of bricks.
And then all of a sudden, in an instant, a sigh of relief rushed out of my body and I could let go of the trying and just rest. This moment of release was both a blessing, but it also was a prompting to reflect on
What had led me to this point? And why was it that a simple yet profound visual broke me in the best way? What led me to this point where I didn't feel held? And why was such a visual that would have once been a promise I would cling to as a little girl feel more faded and off in the distance? Friends, have you ever felt like your relationship with God goes from close proximity and safety to shame and an indescribable distance?
Even when I know his proximity hasn't changed, it's as if the weight of this life and personal challenges, sufferings, or experiences caused me to question or create assumptions around who he is and how he views me. It's so easy to spiral, isn't it, into thinking patterns of unworthiness and inadequacy, let alone envisioning him holding and comforting me in my brokenness and frailty.
This art print held more meaning to me than my friend could have ever envisioned. To be honest, I was in desperate need of a reminder of his steadfast love, a love that is not distant, but ready to warmly embrace even when my mind and emotions wage war inside of me.
Friends, this is not just a word for me. It's for all of us. And I don't know the hardships or the joys you are experiencing right now, but I want to challenge you today. What visual do you have in your mind and your heart? Is Jesus holding you or are you at arm's length or even miles away?
We read in the Gospels and through commentaries about the significance of Jesus' interactions with women. It was countercultural. It was revolutionary. Women were considered society's most vulnerable and second-class citizens. Men were forbidden to speak to women in public, and women were punished if they even touched a man in public.
They were excluded from educational pursuits. They could not participate in synagogue worship. So we know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was very intentional in his interactions with women as he was making a statement of how women are seen in the eyes of God.
When culture belittled and undervalued, Jesus dignified. When societal norms ostracized, Jesus called out his daughters by name and he called them to follow him.
These encounters, they're documented all throughout the Gospels, but there is one story in particular, accounted for in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that really stands out, as it is the only documented encounter between Jesus and a woman in which he publicly refers to her as his daughter. You've likely read it many times, but I'd like to resurface it today and meditate on it with you.
In Mark chapter five, verses 21 through 34, we read, "'When Jesus had again crossed over by boat "'to the other side of the lake, "'a large crowd gathered around him "'while he was by the lake. "'Then one of the synagogue leaders named Jairus came, "'and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. "'He pleaded earnestly with him, "'my little daughter is dying. "'Please come, put your hands on her "'so that she will be healed and live.'
So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him." Now, a side note, Mark proceeds to share about an unexpected encounter Jesus had with a woman on his way to healing Jairus' daughter. As we proceed in reading, notice the disciples' tone. They were focused on the mission at hand and the large crowds closing in. They failed to understand the significance of this divine interruption and what Jesus was gonna do.
So as we proceed, verse 25 reads, And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought to herself, If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.
Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, who touched my clothes? You see the people crowding against you, his disciples answered. And yet you can ask who touched me?
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.'"
I love verse 34 in the King James translation. It says, and he said unto her, daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace. The message translation says, daughter, you took a risk trusting me and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed. I love that emphasis on her trust in him.
So this story, it's filled with so many powerful and noteworthy takeaways, but here are a few resonating with me specifically today and maybe for you as well. Number one, Jesus does not fixate on what I or others fixate on. He's not ashamed of me.
According to Jewish laws, women were considered unclean during menstruation. For this woman to be experiencing chronic bleeding for 12 years would mean she was continually considered ceremonial unclean by her family and society, leading to severe isolation. This woman knew that if she touched anyone, even the fringe of a garment, she would both violate the law and make a person unclean.
But in this moment, Jesus's power and authority superseded that of ritualistic laws. Jesus did not rebuke or punish her for touching him like the law would entitle him to do, but rather he publicly dignified and praised this woman's faith and showed compassion. We see once again that Jesus is counter-cultural in making a statement here.
Number two, when I attempt to hide, he pursues and calls me out, not to humiliate, but to affirm, comfort, and counsel me.
This woman, she was hoping to remain unseen in the crowd as it could potentially risk public humiliation and punishment. But Jesus had other plans for this moment. When he felt the healing power leave his body, he could not pass the opportunity to pause and wait until someone came forward.
He didn't just glaze past her on his way to healing Jairus' daughter. He listened empathetically to this woman's story of 12 long years of suffering. He set aside all distractions to ensure that she understood that she was seen and known. I want to ask you this question today. Do you believe that you're seen and known? If not, I encourage you to read Psalm 139 where David reminds us of this.
Thirdly, when my feelings and assumptions mislead me, I can rest in the promise that He will always respond to me with beloved daughter. The scripture tells us that when Jesus asked who touched Him, she fell at His feet with fear and trembling, uncertain of what would happen to her next or the response she would receive from Him.
I wonder if this woman had any ounce of anticipation or belief in a warm exchange, let alone receiving the most tender and dignifying responses Jesus could give. Have you ever felt like an exception to Jesus's full embrace or uncertainty around how he would reply? Would there be disappointment in his tone, in his voice? Would it be warm or cold? What would that tone look like?
I encourage you today to hold on to James 4, 8, which says, come near to God and he will come near to you. In Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 3, it says, I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with an unfailing kindness. So we know his love is not fickle. It's not conditional as our human love so often reveals us.
He doesn't want us to merely hope for a loving response. He wants us to anticipate and expect it. Number four, regardless of my joys and sorrows associated with my earthly father and daughter relationship, God wants to heal and redeem my story as I walk in freedom as a child of God. So number four, regardless of my joys and sorrows associated with my earthly father and daughter relationship,
God wants to heal and redeem my story as I walk in freedom as a child of God.
Although I can say personally that I have had a positive relationship with my father, I just want to acknowledge and recognize that some of you listening today have had a significant amount of hurt, trauma, and betrayal associated with your father. This can make the very word father complicated. What does it actually mean to have a heavenly father and to be called his daughter when this earthly dynamic has only led to pain?
Paul speaks to this in Romans 8:15-16. He talks about a full adoption as sons and daughters made possible through Jesus' sacrifice.
He writes,
This idea of sonship or adoption, it's not a gender-specific concept, but rather a declaration that all believers, both men and women, are brought into God's family, receiving the status, the identity, and the intimate relationship of a child with their Heavenly Father.
So today, regardless of your story, remember that God knows the complexities. When our earthly experiences prove a disappointment, we can depend on his unfailing commitment to us. As we close today, I'd like to leave you with some questions to reflect on. What barriers or hindrances exist between me and Jesus? Number two, when I think about my relationship with Jesus, do I visualize him holding me?or at a distance? Third, do I believe Jesus is approachable and ready to respond to me tenderly as his daughter, or am I fearful of his response? Fourth, in what areas of my life do I no longer trust God? What doubts and fears can I honestly acknowledge today and ask God to help expand my faith in? And lastly, where do I see myself in this story? And what is God revealing to me today?
Meredith Brock: Erin, Rae, thank you for this, for such a rich teaching on what you're really unpacking is intimacy with our creator.
What we were originally designed for in the garden was a fully unobstructed relationship with God. And when sin entered the world, when our rebellion, our choice to say, you know what, actually, I know better, entered God. the world, it created the distance that we have been trying to traverse ever since, you know? And I love the picture. I wish that this was right now. I kind of wish this was a video podcast because I wish that we could show our listeners that painting, you know, so that they could feel and see that.
the embrace that God longs to give to his daughters. And I love, I just wanna say thank you for acknowledging for those of us who have had a broken relationship with their father, that word daughter is like supercharged for me. And something that I have had to acknowledge to be totally transparent, work on in therapy and beyond, you know, in so many of our relationships. And I love that you use this passage in Luke because it is, and I think I'm saying this correctly, that it is the first time we hear Jesus call a woman daughter.
And that is significant. Jesus was so intentional. And I have heard this passage unpacked so many times. And I loved the way that you unpacked it, Erin Rae. I think it was fresh and new and a different way to think about it. As you were talking, I'm in a very different season of my life. Now I am a mother, you know, I'm 44. I've got currently four children and I'm,
That word daughter has changed for me because I have daughters. And something that came to mind as you were kind of even just reading that passage is that now as I am a mother, you were unpacking the passage. Jesus is walking through crowds where people are pushing in on him. They need him to get somewhere. Mm-hmm.
it's probably super noisy and people are probably like yelling things, like they're trying to get his attention. Now, all the mamas in the room, I want you to just pause really quick. And what does that remind you of?
Kaley Olson: I'm a little overstimulated right now.
Meredith Brock: Yeah, so like immediately when you were reading this, Erin Rae, I had this memory of being with my two small children trying to traverse their school carnival.
And there was like, all the kids were like running in masses. And I had a toddler at the time. And then I had like a bigger one and he wanted to run one direction, but people were like pushing in on us. I think that they were like trying to get to the dunk tank or something. I can't, I can't remember all the details, guys. I just remembered the feeling of this crowd is pushing in on me. There are lots of demands on,
I'm feeling overstimulated because it's like noises and all this different stuff. And as you were reading this, Erin Rae, I just thought, wow, that must have been how Jesus felt. He's still fully human. He still feels the overstimulation. He has a nervous system. He felt the overstimulation of that moment. And what I think is just so touching and I want to say, to the fellow girl who had a complicated relationship with her dad. My biological dad was not a violent man. He wasn't even a mean man. He just was an alcoholic, drug addict who was absent and made me feel invisible. And if I had a need, it didn't matter.
And my presence was of no need. There was no reason for me to be there. I was just one more demand in his life. And so he was very ambivalent towards me, like whatever. And if that's you, if you've had that relationship with your father that you have felt, your earthly father, you have felt invisible, you have had the fear of ever being needy,
Having a need and expressing it to your father. I want you to hear that your creator, your God is calling you daughter. And that means he cares about your needs. He cares about your presence. And this picture in Luke is such that with all that pressing in on him, all the people crying,
I'm sure they knew he could heal people. They were also saying, hurry up, we need to get somewhere. Like, hurry up, come on, come on, come on, come on. You've been in that position. All of us have in some way, shape or form, if that's even trying to get into a concert, right? The pushing in of the crowd, you're trying to get to your seat. In that moment, Jesus said, wait a minute, my daughter's here.
And she needs something. And I'm gonna stop and I'm gonna look at her and I'm gonna be with her. Even though there's other demands on me, even though there are other priorities that are real, I choose her.
I choose to see her. And I just couldn't go on any further, Erin Rae, without acknowledging that for our girls who do have that complicated conversation with their complicated relationship with their earthly father. For me, that has been something I have had to untangle more than once.
It didn't just happen when I left home and started realizing like, whoa, this was not normal. And as I have progressed into adulthood, I slip back into that mindset of like, don't have any needs, Meredith. Be strong, figure it out yourself. And that's not what our father did.
He wants that proximity. He wants you to reach out and touch his robe. He wants you to say, I need you and I can't do this without you. And not only can I not do it without you, I don't want to do this without you, Jesus. Please reach out your hand. And so thank you for this beautiful teaching. Honestly, I just think, wow. I hope that as our listeners are listening,
absorbing this right now that the Holy Spirit's speaking to their heart that they matter, that it's okay to be needy.
Erin Rae: I know that, yes. And I know that God, He understands the complexities and I think He's validating listeners right now that He understands that it's complicated and He understands it's difficult to understand and understand
and yet he's calling us to a greater level of leaning in. And so much so that this passage would paint a picture of him being on the way to heal another one of his daughters, Jairus' daughter, he's on the way. And yet he has that under control and he later heals Jairus' daughter. But we also see in the moment that hey, I know you as well. And I know you and I know you so much that even the fringe of my garment could be touched and I call you out. And so we see, like you said, Meredith, this beautiful painting of Jesus is willing to not necessarily view us as a distraction, but an intentional encounter. So he can be intentional with another sister and an intentionality with us that is equal.
We don't need to say, well, God's distracted by one because her needs are maybe more significant or look different. That's more time sensitive. God does not. His relationship with us is beautifully unique, intimate and beautiful.
There's no favoritism. He's all God in all hours in that moment. I think God was doing something by including this together, both Jairus' daughter and the woman with the issue of the blood to remind us that He doesn't view us as distractions. He's 100% present with us.
Meredith Brock: Yeah. And I just, even as you were saying that, Erin Rae, I realized that
how easy it would have been in that moment to think, oh, Jairus's daughter is so much more important than me.
because he was an official, you know? And so Jesus better hurry up and get to her, you know? Because him healing her is so much more important than me. I'm just this outcast, you know? And he didn't see it that way.
Kaley Olson: Yeah. Yeah, he didn't. Erin, one of the things that you said that I wrote down was when I attempt to hide, Jesus calls me out.
And when I hear this passage, one of the things that I think of is Jesus didn't have to acknowledge that a woman touched him. Like, I mean, there's probably a lot of other people who touched him who were healed that we don't know about, but God made it a point to stop in the moment and make this woman say what happened to her for us to know about right now. And I think, um,
what that boils down to for me is like people who right now are feeling ashamed because there's something wrong with them or they can't figure out how to get through the hardship that they're facing or maybe they've been asked to do something that just feels really, really hard or they're anxious. Like there is nothing wrong with something being wrong with you. There is nothing to be ashamed about the hardship that you're facing.
And something that Lysa TerKeurst said after she came back from the Holy Land, she got to experience God's use of the landscape to tell stories, but God didn't just use landscape, He also used people. And God used this woman to be a catalyst for His glory. And I think that there's such redemption
Meredith, circling back to what you said about our sin separates us from God, but isn't it crazy that God uses even the things that separate us from him to bring about his glory? So I think like for the people listening now, there's nothing wrong with being wrong. There's nothing wrong with having something wrong with you. There's nothing wrong or there's nothing to be ashamed about with any hardship that you're facing. But Erin Rae,
I wanna transition and talk a little bit about how this applies to specifically like the Women's Empowerment Program at Convoy of Hope. Because earlier I had mentioned the work that you get to do there. And I want to hear from you, like how...
Our stories like this, how is this story in the Bible about a woman who's brave enough to be like, it was me, Jesus. I was the one that needed help. And God used that woman's story to show his power. How are you guys seeing that story maybe brought to life in the work that you're doing through Convoy of Hope?
Erin Rae: Yes, thank you, Kaley. And it really is, it's such a, really in the depths of my soul, something I'm just so passionate about and just women's ministry in general.
It's God's heart. And so as I travel to the field, we're in over 40 countries through our children's eating agriculture, women's empowerment programs collectively, but specifically 29 countries for our women's empowerment program. And that just last year was empowering over 54,000 women and girls. And yet that number, sometimes we...
we overemphasize numbers and we forget that it's about the one and God's calling out the one. And in my travels to different continents, you know, every context is unique. The complexities of what women are,
are dealing with the challenges they're facing. But a lot of times we do view, we see similar context to even what we're reading here about the woman with the issue of blood, where there's an oppressive spirit amongst women, some inequalities present, some challenges of even a woman having opportunity.
And so we noticed that as we come alongside women, it is a voluntary program. So it's not like they're forced, but we see that through our in-country facilitators, God is just using the in-country team members to just speak life and to speak possibilities into women that have maybe put dreams on hold. And so we see...
even physical transformation. When I look at a woman who maybe started in the program a couple years ago, and then a facilitator says the physical transformation in their face, in their entire body, like goes from a posture of hunched over to looking at you directly in the eyes.
The only way that that can happen is because there's a transformation taking place of yes, like acknowledging the value that, that, um,
Not only like they have as women, but what is the value and dignity that God has placed on them? So we have just a beautiful opportunity to just come alongside women, partner with them and call them out by name. So each of these women, they have names. Each of these girls have names. And so it's not about the masses. It's about everyone.
like, God, what do you have for this woman? So whether that's through a mother's club where we're working alongside women who are expectant mothers, or we are doing business training to help a woman start a business,
We're so passionate about helping her see that God has more. God has more for her. And if she can just look up and we can work on that process of her being free from what she's believed or the lies of the enemy that has convinced her that she is nothing to do, like she can't help her family or she's stuck. She's in a place of, I can't reach out to even my neighbor because I can't even provide for my own children. Yeah.
That's a lie. And the Lord's just been using Convoy as one tool amongst many ministries to play a part in helping women fixate their eyes upward and to dream again and to see the possibilities. So we're seeing just complete transformation in communities at large, because when you start with a woman, when you empower one, it never just...
ends there. As you know, as women, when we feel like we've built up our confidence, that spreads. That never ends with us. We're going to spread that to our friends, our family, our community. So we're starting to see women giving back out of the outflow of what God's been blessing them with and just calling other women to join them along the journey. So God's at work.
And these are spiritual strongholds. So we just thank you so much, Proverbs 31, for just believing in Convoy and what we do. God's at work and we need his grace and his continued favor. Amen.
Kaley Olson: Amen. Well, I mean, me and Meredith talk about that all the time at Proverbs. The reality is, is that when a woman is changed, so much is affected by a woman's interaction with Jesus. And so we love that you guys are on the front lines, meeting them there with their physical needs. Just like, I mean, we experience this all the time when people really have a need and the right message pops up at the right time. God is able to just meet them there. And so you guys are doing that.
And we love that. And so Erin Rae, I'm sure there are listeners out there thinking, okay, how do I get connected? How can I help support the work that you guys are doing and be a part of helping women who really need to see how much God loves them and maybe get their life back on track? So can you share some ways that we can partner with Convoy of Hope today?
Erin Rae: Absolutely. You know, as I mentioned, prayer is effective. I don't know where your faith is at in the aspect of prayer right now, but I want you to know we have seen miracles come to pass and open doors because of prayer partners just calling out to the heavens for us on our behalf. So we just thank you so much for your commitment to praying for us, for just provision, favor, open doors, protection for our in-country team members who are serving in the hands and the feet of Jesus and just continued wisdom as we look to remain faithful to our existing commitments while also expanding and reaching more families and individuals around the world.
I would say also just generosity. You know, it's the generosity of individuals, churches, and businesses that really fuel this ministry and make it really what we do, what international program does and disaster response and every area, both US and international work, we can't do it without the generosity of our partners. So we just thank you for even considering that, you know, women's empowerment has been a really beautiful opportunity for women and girls to come alongside us. Even just $25 a month, it doesn't sound like much, but it can really provide a startup seed capital at the equipment that she would need to start a business. So I think sometimes we think about these extravagant acts of generosity, but God's just asking for what is in our hands. And maybe that's for Starbucks drinks or... So I know that...
God honors whatever we put forth. And I would also say advocacy. You know, when you're passionate about women's ministry, call that out, use your social media platforms for good. You can follow Convoy of Hope on any social media channels.
we always post stories there. So follow us there and I hope it encourages your heart and just spurs in you just a passion to serve both the U.S. and around the world. And as always, if you'd like to learn more about Convoy, you can always visit our website, convoyofhope.org, just to learn more and learn more about how you can get involved.
Kaley Olson: Yeah, that was great, Erin Rae. And friends, for those of you listening and driving, we're gonna link everything that Erin Rae just mentioned to the show notes below so you can scroll there. And we wanna make it easy for you to share this episode with somebody. Like she just said, advocacy is one thing that you can do. And that's one way you can start. You can share her message with someone who might need to hear it.
Meredith Brock: Well, that's all for today, friends, at Proverbs 31 Ministries. We believe when you know the truth and live the truth, it really does change everything.