One of the great privileges of my life has been to meet and learn from the wisdom and experience of Christian women, particularly older widows and those who never married. I have written about this before, because I could speak for hours recounting multiple illustrations of how I was mentored and taught by listening to so many godly women who God had set apart to spend their time in Bible study and prayer.

 In today’s Scripture, specifically 15:20–21, we see a woman, namely Miriam, sister of Aaron and Moses who is described as the first female prophet, stand up and lead “all the women” in singing and dancing, literally one of the greatest displays of praise and worship in the Bible. In my many travels and in the places I’ve served, I’ve seen many such women and their positive impact in the church. God blessed me with two such women as wives, both asleep in Jesus now, who were responsible for leading many to the altar of Jesus Christ, much like Miriam, with a variety of winsome gifts that caused others to follow. I want to strongly encourage all women in our churches but most especially those who have accumulated decades of knowledge and experience to continue to seek out and assume all areas of ministry. I understand perfectly the very commendable “passing of the torch” to the younger generation, however, that said, I could not more emphatically commend our “Miriams” for their invaluable service and the irreplaceable resource they are to our churches to run their race while their torches are still burning.

Father, I pray for enduring strength and endless opportunities for the relentless ministry of women with the “Miriam spirit” in our midst.

Rev. Dr. Harold Hazen