My Wife, Mrs. Meriam Ruth Nemabubuni

Fearing God is one of the distinguishing marks of those who are in a saving relationship with God. The Old Testament powerfully describes a person who fears God as genuinely blessed. It says in Psalm 112:1, “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!” In this context, to fear God is to delight in God’s commandments greatly.

Proverbs 31 gives a vivid description of a woman who fears God and also encourages her husband and children to give her credit due to her, i.e., praise. Observe that “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:30-31, Emphasis added).

Coming closer to home, seeing what God is doing in my wife’s heart and life left me with no other option but to burst into praise for what only God can do through the ministry of His Word and the Holy Spirit. In January 2018, my wife decided to read through the Bible after realizing that her husband made a resolution, in the same year, to read at least four chapters a day for 365 days, thus reading the whole Bible once a year. She didn’t want to be left behind. But instead of reading four chapters a day, she decided to read at least one or two chapters a day, starting from the New Testament. By God’s grace, she started reading from Matthew in January 2018, and she finished reading the New Testament in the same year. In the year 2019, she started reading the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, and finished it this year, September 02, 2020.

Over the last three years, we have witnessed the blessings that come to those who fear God, i.e., those who take God seriously in terms of loving His Word greatly and following His ways joyfully (Psalm 112:1 and Psalm 128:1). Speaking of loving God’s Word, Psalm 119:165 says, “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” It is indeed a blessing to have the “great peace” that only God can give to those who take Him seriously!

 Again, Psalms 112 and 128 sharply argue that the blessings to a godly family begin with a man who fears God and then overflows to the rest of the family members. Psalm 128:2 speaks of the personal blessing that comes to a man who fears God, saying, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.”

Relevant to this article, Psalm 128:3 speaks of family blessings that come to a man who fears God, saying, “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” To mention one practical example, over the last month, my wife trained our children to sing all the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. On August 15, 2020, it was my birthday, and we went for a mountain hike as a family. My birthday highlight was when our children sang all the books of the Bible while we were at the top of the mountain; and for that, I can only thank God for what He is doing in my wife’s heart, and through her life, as she is growing in the knowledge of the truth. May God continue to work in her, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

It is also my prayer that this testimony will be a great encouragement to all Christian ladies out there. The point is, it is possible, through God’s grace, for Christian ladies to read the whole Bible, thus growing in the knowledge of the truth and their faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord. There is no excuse, for it is God, “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” ( 1 Timothy 2:4). Bible reading is not an option for a Christian but a necessity (Cf. John 17:17 and 1 Peter 2:2-3).

And to my wife, Mrs. Meriam Ruth Nemabubuni, words cannot explain how much I’m thankful to God for you. You are indeed a fruitful vine both in our marriage and family. May God continue to give you the grace to bear more fruits as you’re growing in the knowledge of the truth, the Bible.

Here is a birthday video gift from the children singing all the books of the Bible. Like the Apostle John, all I can say is, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).