By: Topher
Independence Day has come and
gone. Grandiose firework displays have
filled your sight. Delicious grilled
meats have filled you belly. Family
& friends have filled your memories.
Now is a good time to ask the question, “What has filled your gratitude?”
In the midst of July 4th
busyness, we often forget to spend
time in gratitude for the freedom we’ve been given. Here are two of nine women I’ve been studying
that had a profound impact on our freedom in America and in Christ. Study them and thank God for female freedom
fighters.
Priscilla, the wife of Aquilla,
is mentioned 7 times in the Bible. Five
times she is mentioned before her husband, which usually denotes priority,
authority, or focus. After living in Rome,
she traveled with Aquilla & Paul to Ephesus to encourage the fledgling church. In total, Paul lived with Priscilla &
Aquilla for 18 months. In Acts
18:26, she is mentioned first again when they took aside an eloquent
& educated preacher named Apollos and “explained to him the way of God more
accurately.” Apollos
following would later be compared to Paul (1 Cor 3:4) and I suspect he may have
been the true author of the wonderfully deep book of Hebrews. Thank
God for Priscilla who, along with her husband, helped further the freedom given in Jesus Christ in the spiritual
battle against sin & darkness.
Molly Ludwig Hays may be often
known by a different name, Molly Pitcher. Folklore has it that in June 1778, she
scanned the battlefield looking for her husband John as his regiment of
Colonial soldiers under George Stirling withstood the forces of dreaded imperial
general Clinton. Cannon blasts shook the ground on this scorching hot day as
she spotted her husband working the ramrod of a colonial cannon. As she repeatedly carried her pitcher of
water from creek to soldiers, the wounded would yell, “Molly, PITCHER!” Then, she spotted the signs of heatstroke
when John slumped over his cannon, crumpling before the approaching redcoats. Molly jumped up to “man” the cannon in
her husband’s stead, thus aiding General Stirling in the battle and preserving
the colonial push for freedom in the Revolutionary War. General George Washington personally commended her bravery and post-war congress
voted to pay her $40 annually for the rest of her life for her services in the Revolutionary
War. Thank God for Molly who, along with
her husband, helped further the
freedom given in the Revolutionary War in the battle against
imperialism.
Neither Priscilla nor Molly were looking for fame when they served in
their respective battles. Instead, they
were simply serving with their husbands in marvelous ways. May we remember, appreciate, and model our
lives after these feminine freedom fighters.
“An excellent wife who can find? She is far
more precious than jewels.” – Proverbs 31:10