How Jesus Leads Women Well

“Life is full of disappointments.”

This is the counsel many women receive as they mature and are sideswiped by those moments that leave them in shock, holding their broken hearts in trembling hands. Frustrations and anger rise as they see the stories on the news. The details and opinions litter their feeds.

Sure, the tales are varied—different names, different faces—but a constant theme remains: women aren’t always treated as valued members of society. And in the aftermath they find themselves murmuring a simple refrain—"It wasn’t supposed to be like this."

Whether it’s the stories of violence and assault, injustices in the workplace, or the demeaning views that seep into our everyday interactions, it’s clear sin has infiltrated the way women are viewed and treated. Even among the well-meaning, many women often find themselves maligned for the attributes that reflect the Creator. External pressures are compounded by pain, loss, betrayal, and unmet expectations.

But in the midst of pain and suffering, the good news is that in a world that seems to hurl disappointment and discouragement at women on a regular basis, it is still possible to remain confident in Jesus—the faithful One who has an unwavering commitment to bring about His plan for your life.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:11–12)

Despite what the enemy would like them to believe and what society tries to reinforce, women can have absolute confidence in the plan of God.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Ephesians 1:3–4).

Although there are many days that try and test us, the plan Jesus is bringing about will far outweigh every act of evil, neglect, stupidity, and callousness we face in this life. The One with all power and authority not only rights our wrongs but also the wrongs done against us. And He is the One who has destined us for greatness.

Sometimes that hope seems fleeting—a little too good to even dare to believe it’s true. And if it weren’t backed by God—the One who swears by His own name—then it would be. But the Shepherd we follow has experience in leading women, through the valley and over the rockiest terrain.

Throughout the Bible we see the excellence of our Good Shepherd as He leads His followers through disappointment, pain, and even trauma. In these moments, His gentleness and care become extremely evident in the life of the broken and hurting.

With the widow, the orphan, and the accused, Jesus reaches into the mass of pain and confusion to gently save, cleanse, heal, and restore. Our Leader brings all of His healing power into our weakness and brokenness, bringing about His plan and ushering us into what He has designed for us.

He carefully takes the crushing blows we encounter and dismantles them, pulling out the pieces that can be used in the new thing He’s building, displaying His ability to redeem every hardship and injustice and grow us to minister to others.

Take Leah, for Instance

Leah experienced this reality firsthand.

Her husband, Jacob, who was tricked into marrying her, really only ever wanted to marry her younger sister, Rachel. The Bible has good things to say about Rachel and how Jacob loved and desired her. We’re left to guess about his feelings for Leah. Married to a man who seemed comfortable having children with her, without fully loving her, Leah’s resilience for life shows the fingerprints of our great Redeemer.

While many may see Leah as an undesired option that Jacob endured, to Jesus she is a willing woman, who, despite her own pain and heartache, followed the Lord through years of struggle to arrive in a place of praise.

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. (Genesis 29:31–34)

More than just some bygone tale, the path of Leah’s life is a reflection of our God who is not intimidated by the hard moments women face. Jesus doesn’t see it as an inconvenience to show how He loves and provides and cares for women as He Himself fulfills the roles others are committed to filling in their lives.

To the Lord, Leah wasn’t an understudy or a last-round pick. She was His choice for setting the foundation for what was to come for His people, as she helped raise Levi and Judah to be men who followed after the one true God.

Regardless of how she was treated by the person she may have hoped to have trusted the most, the Lord brought about His plan for her life, showing Himself as her Bridegroom, King, and Judge.

As a Bridegroom, the Lord showed His kindness to Leah, protecting her and celebrating her. As a King, He displayed His power to bless Leah, intervening in her situation by ruling in her present and elevating her. And as a Judge, the Lord overturned what Leah’s own husband had planned, which would’ve resulted in her shame.

God did not hesitate to make His favor evident over Leah’s life and bring about His plan for her.

Despite the real disappointments of marriage, the Lord intervened and gave her a reason to rejoice. The Lord filled Leah with His lavish love resulting in an authentic praise arising from her soul.

The woman who was loved least by her husband was a woman seen by God, covered by God, chosen by God, and used by God to bring forth His plan for her life and the earth.

From heaven’s perspective, the tale of Leah’s life is not one of sadness but instead displays the Lord’s ability to redeem women from broken situations and lead them into wholeness.

Thousands of years later He is still the God whose plans far exceeds our circumstances. He is still the One who can say, without reservation, “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame . . . For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” (Isaiah 54:4–5)

Jesus already knows who He’s created us to be. He knows who we really are regardless of what we’ve done and what’s been done to us. As He leads us along that path to better see Him, we in turn are better able to see ourselves and know who we really are in Him.

God’s destiny for women is for them to be honored, loved, treasured, adored, and anointed to do the works of the Kingdom with power as they reflect His nature to the broken and hurting.

As we see the One who is faithful and true, we are better able to trust that He will bring about His good plan for our lives.

In the midst of the hard and impossible moments of life, we can cling to the truth that the greatest Man to ever walk the earth sees, knows, and will restore. He desires to honor, bless, and love us—unrelated to our accomplishments, ability, looks, title, or talent.

Despite the tears, heartache, and pain, we too can cry out—even if it’s in a hoarse whisper—"Speak, your servant is listening," and know that the plan of God is greater than every pitfall, setback, disappointment, or heartache we could face. The God of the impossible, Leah’s Redeemer, still speaks today, lifting our heads to see His plan and acts of deliverance and restoration.

Today, for the overlooked, the Lord says you are seen.

For the undesired, you are chosen.

For the forgotten, you are known.

For the unworthy, you’ve been qualified.

For the unwanted, you are the Lord’s.

For the ashamed, the dirty, the suffering, and the lonely, the Lord still speaks today, desiring to be your Bridegroom, King, and Judge and bring about His plan of peace, restoration, and wholeness, so we too can say, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psalm 23:4–5)

In which areas of your life do you feel the Lord urging you to surrender to His leadership?