When I am facing challenges in life, I like to look to the Word for direction, wisdom and encouragement.
The reality is that we will face hardships in our lives. It is inevitable.
These challenges help to strengthen our faith in God and develop our character.
But sometimes we need encouragement to help us overcome the obstacles along the way. And the Bible is one of the best places to look for encouragement.
So in today’s article, we’ll be looking at some female Bible characters who overcame obstacles.
I hope you will be strengthened and inspired as you go through this list.
What is an Obstacle?
Before we start the list, I want us to have a definition of “obstacle”
An obstacle is something that hinders you from moving forward or achieving a goal.
Here are some examples of common obstacles:
- Health issues
- Loss and grief
- Fear
- Financial hardship
- Discrimination and prejudice
- Oppressive systems
- Social stigma
Why is It Important to Overcome Obstacles?
When we face obstacles, our first thought is normally to give up or walk away. It often seems like too much effort will be required to overcome them.
But facing the challenge can help you to:
- Develop your character
- Strengthen your ability to deal with future difficulties
- Develop your problem-solving skills
- Be more compassionate and empathetic with those who are facing similar challenges
- Have a better quality of life
- Strengthen your faith in God
- Fulfil God’s purpose for your life
- Glorify God
Female Bible Characters Who Overcame Obstacles
Let’s look at some women in the Bible who overcame obstacles.
1) Jochebed (The Mother of Moses)
Jochebed is not popularly known by her name, but most people know her son. She is the mother of Moses.
Do you remember the account in Exodus when Pharaoh (King of Egypt) made a decree that all newborn Israelite boys were to be killed?
He wanted to control the population of the Israelites because he thought the growing number of males could be a threat to Egypt if there were a war.
After giving birth to Moses, Jochebed decided to hide him for 3 months to protect him from being killed. When she could no longer hide him, she placed him in a basket and set it afloat on the Nile River.
Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby and decided to adopt him. Then she paid Jochebed to nurse him, but she did not know that Jochebed was his mother.
In the end, Moses was saved from the oppressive system. And God worked through Him to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Egyptians.
Obstacle
The obstacle that Jochebed had to overcome was the oppressive Egyptian system. She probably had to overcome fear as well.
Jochebed was courageous and innovative because she had to ensure that the basket was waterproof. And she did this by using papyrus to make the basket and coating it with tar and pitch.
Little did she know that her son would be chosen by God to fulfil His purpose, which was to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians.
Lesson
When you are faced with an oppressive system that goes against the Word of God, always choose to obey God instead of man.
Trust God and do what is right.
Killing the male Israelite offspring was against the plans of God.
This is because God wanted the Israelites to keep reproducing because this is the lineage from which the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come.
Read the full account in Exodus 1 and 2, and you will see how God worked out everything to the point that Jochebed was paid to take care of her own child.
2) Ruth
There was a famine in Bethlehem, Judah, so a man named Elimelek decided to move to Moab with his family so they could have food. He moved with his wife, Naomi and his 2 sons, Mahlon and Kilion.
After some time, Elimelek passed and the sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Eventually, Naomi’s sons died, and she decided to return to Judah because food was now available there.
She urged her daughter-in-laws to stay in Moab so they could find another husband. Orpah decided to stay in Moab while Ruth chose to go to Bethlehem with Naomi.
While there, Ruth worked in the field of a man named Boaz. He learnt about her kindness towards Naomi and showed her favour.
He ensured that she gathered enough food and that no one harmed her. After a series of events, he eventually married her.
Ruth gave birth to Obed, who was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, and from that lineage came the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Obstacle
In those days, women depended heavily on their husbands for financial support and protection.
So when Ruth lost her husband, she lost a loved one as well as financial support and protection.
She also decided to move to Bethlehem with Naomi to a land where she would be a foreigner, which means she had no support network. No one knew her there except for Naomi.
Lesson
When you face challenges, cling to God and stay close to those who also believe in Him.
The Moabites worshipped idols, so more than likely, Ruth grew up worshipping idols. When she married Mahlon, she was introduced to the God of Israel.
When Naomi urged her to stay in Moab, she refused and replied that she would stick to Naomi and the God of Israel.
She chose to turn away from the idols and to follow God wholeheartedly.
Another key lesson is that she was willing to work. And we see this in Ruth 2:2-7 when she asked her mother-in-law if she could go into the fields to pick up leftover grains.
When you are faced with financial hardship, don’t sit and wallow in self-pity.
Look for opportunities and work to the best of your ability. In Ruth 2:7, the harvesters noted that Ruth was hardworking.
A key lesson is that you should stick to those who can give you good advice. Her mother-in-law gave her good advice that led to her marriage.
And eventually she gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David. Ruth is now named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Read the entire book of Ruth for the full account. It’s fairly short.
3) Hannah
There was a man named Elkanah who had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was barren, so she had none.
Peninnah would ridicule Hannah because of her barrenness, and this would make Hannah very sad to the point that she would weep and refuse to eat.
This happened for many years.
Then one day, Hannah decided to pour out her heart and weep bitterly before the Lord. She made a promise that if the Lord gave her a son, she would give him back to the Lord.
In the course of time, Hannah slept with her husband and became pregnant. Eventually, she gave birth to a son and called him Samuel.
Obstacle
The obstacle that Hannah faced was social stigma and infertility.
In those days, infertility was a big issue, and as you can see, it could make women very sad.
Offspring were seen as a blessing and a legacy. There was also pressure to produce an heir for inheritance and land rights.
In those times, a woman’s primary societal role was to bear children, so motherhood gave women social status and honour.
Furthermore, children were expected to take care of their parents in their old age because there was no pension or retirement scheme.
So Hannah had to battle with the social stigma and possibly an uncertain future because she had no children to take care of her in her old age.
Lesson
From Hannah’s life, we learn that if you are dealing with infertility, cry out to the Lord. Pour out her heart before Him, and weep if you want to.
Also, make sure that your desire is to raise up Godly offspring. In Malachi 2:15, God reveals to us that He desires Godly offspring from marital unions.
I want you to keep in mind that God wants you to be married before you have children (Malachi 2:15).
If you are facing any social stigma or ridicule, cry out to the Lord and ask Him for insight on how to navigate this challenging time. Ask Him to help you have the right motives for your desires.
Read the full account in 1 Samuel 1.
4) Esther
The Jews were taken into captivity, and the Persian Empire ruled over them. The King of Persia decided to choose a new queen, and after a series of events, he chose Esther, a Jewish girl, to be the queen.
But he didn’t know that Esther was Jewish.
One day, the king decided to promote a man named Haman. Then the king instructed the royal officials to bow down to Haman to pay honour.
However, Mordecai, who was Esther’s cousin, refused to bow to him.
This made Haman extremely angry, and he decided to kill Mordecai and all the other Jews.
So he convinced the king to issue a decree to kill all the Jews by telling him that there were some people who disobeyed the king’s laws.
Mordecai found out about the plan and urged Esther to go before the king to plead for the lives of the Jews.
In those times, no one could go before the king unless he/she was summoned. If someone did, the penalty was death unless the king extended his golden sceptre to show mercy.
Naturally, Esther was hesitant. So she asked all the Jews to fast for 3 days and 3 nights, and she fasted as well.
After the fast, she went to the king even though he did not summon her. He held out his golden sceptre. She invited him to a banquet where she exposed Haman’s plot and her Jewish identity.
The king ordered that Haman be hanged and issued a new decree which allowed the Jews to defend themselves.
As a result, the Jewish nation was saved, which is the lineage through which Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came.
Obstacle
The obstacle that Esther faced was fear….fear of death.
Esther could have died because the king did not summon her, and the penalty for approaching the king without being summoned was death.
But Esther sought the Lord and approached the king afterwards. As a result, her life and that of the Jews were saved.
Lesson
Fear is a common obstacle in our lives. I am sure you have faced the obstacle of fear before.
Maybe it was not the fear of death. Maybe it was the fear of failure, embarrassment, height or an animal.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, the Bible tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
Fear is not from God, so do not allow your mind to dwell on the things that you are afraid of.
Instead, you need to put your trust in God.
When Esther was faced with the fear of death, she turned to the Lord in fasting and prayer.
If you are dealing with the obstacle of fear, take some time to fast and pray about the issue.
In Matthew 17:21 (NKJV), Jesus reveals to us that some challenges require BOTH prayer and fasting.
However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Additionally, renew your mind with the Word of God. Look for applicable Bible verses and repeat them every day until the fear disappears.
5) The Samaritan Woman/ The Woman at the Well
I have a whole article on this website about the Samaritan Woman, so I won’t go into too much detail. You can learn a lot about evangelism from this account.
Here’s a quick recap. Jesus and his disciples were walking, and Jesus decided to sit at a well while the disciples went to get food.
A Samaritan woman came to fetch water from the well, and Jesus asked her for some. She was shocked because in those days, Jews did not speak to Samaritans. Remember Jesus was a Jew.
Jesus told her that He could give her water so that she would never thirst again. She was intrigued, and a conversation developed.
Jesus told her that he knew that she had 5 husbands and that the man she had now was not her husband. After a while, she realised that Jesus was the Promised Messiah.
She ran back to her community and invited everyone to come see the Man who told her everything she ever did. The people came, listened to Him and believed that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
She became an evangelist immediately, and many people believed in Jesus as a result. Her testimony was a powerful witnessing tool.
You can read the full account in John 4:1-42.
Obstacle
The obstacle she overcame was shame and social stigma.
In those times, it was shameful to have multiple husbands and to have a relationship with someone you were not married to.
She did not allow shame or social stigma to stop her from having a conversation with Jesus, even though He was a Jew. As a result, she came to know the Messiah.
In addition, she didn’t allow shame about her past to stop her from evangelising and leading others to Christ.
Lesson
I hope you realise that no matter how shameful your past may be, Jesus still accepts you and offers salvation to you. You just need to believe that He died for your sins.
Additionally, don’t allow shame to stop you from evangelising. Share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. Remember, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
6) Mary (the Mother of Jesus)
Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. At the time, she was an unmarried virgin.
In those times, it was quite shameful to be pregnant if you were not married. Yet Mary accepted the call of God to be the Mother of the Saviour of the world.
Can you imagine what it was like when she told Joseph, her fiancé, that she was pregnant but still a virgin?
More than likely, he thought she was lying because he was planning to cancel the marriage. But he had a dream, and God revealed that Mary was indeed telling the truth.
Eventually, she gave birth to Jesus, the Promised Messiah.
Obstacle
The obstacle that Mary faced was social stigma and interrupted personal plans.
As I said before, it was shameful to be pregnant outside of wedlock. She may have been worried about her reputation and even her relationship with Joseph.
She probably had a whole plan for her life and imagined how it would play out. Then suddenly in the midst of everything, God revealed to her that He had different plans.
Nevertheless, she yielded to the Lord’s plan for her life.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
– Luke 1:38 (NIV)
Lesson
If you’re like me, you probably have a plan or vision for your life. You think you know how things will go. But they don’t always work out because God has different plans for us.
And sometimes these may not be plans that we would choose. Or maybe they don’t give us the approval and applause that we want from our friends and family.
But I want you to remember that God’s plan is the best plan for your life. So yield to God’s plan for your life.
Live to please God, not people. Follow what God says, not what people say. They didn’t make you, and they don’t have the blueprint for your life.
Be like Mary and courageously follow God’s way even if you will be ridiculed, talked about or ostracised.
7) The Woman with the Issue of Blood
The final lady we will look at is the woman with the issue of blood.
This lady suffered from constant bleeding for 12 years and spent all her money on doctors, yet she was not healed.
When she heard that Jesus was passing by, she made her way through the crowd just so she could touch the edge of Jesus’s garment. She believed that if she could just touch the edge, she would be healed.
So she did just that, and instantly her bleeding stopped.
Read the full account in Luke 8:43-48.
Obstacle
The obstacle she faced was a health issue….she was bleeding constantly. More than likely, she also faced social isolation and shame due to her illness.
In those times, bleeding women were considered to be ceremonially unclean, and anything or anyone she touched would also become unclean.
As a result, she would be expected to stay away from public worship and to distance herself from people.
It’s also possible that she was anaemic if she was bleeding for 12 years.
Take some time to imagine what that must have been like….. anaemic and socially isolated for 12 years.
Lesson
If you have a health issue and doctors cannot help you, don’t lose hope. Turn to God. He is still Almighty, and He still has the power to heal you!
Cry out to God and ask Him for supernatural healing. He can do it for you too. There is nothing too hard for Him.
Takeaway
I hope you were encouraged as you read through the account of these women in the Bible.
As women, we face many challenges, and as you can see, some of these challenges have been happening for centuries.
The good thing is that you can overcome the obstacles that you face. How? By turning to the Lord!
As you read through this list, you may have realised that the solution is to turn to the Lord and seek wisdom from His word and those who fear Him.
I was encouraged as I prepared this blog post, and I am sure it will encourage others too.
So feel free to share this article via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram. Twitter and WhatsApp.
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