By Briana Bass, Christian Romance Author, Devotional Writer & Certified Professional Coach

In 2024, I read the entire Bible in one year for the second time (the first time was 2022). As I approached the end of 2024, I wondered what I would read for my personal Bible study and devotional time in 2025. After a time of prayer, the Holy Spirit led me to studying my Biblical foremothers, focusing on one woman each month.

So far this year, I’ve studied Ruth, Esther, Hannah, Sarah, and the Proverbs 31 woman and Titus 2 woman. This month, I’m studying sisters Mary and Martha. Next month I plan to study Mary Magdalene. I’ve learned so much from these women, not only about their lives and experiences, but also about how to live out a life of faith.

I think it is so important to learn from those who came before us, including women physically in our lives and those from history. What is truly beautiful is that the lives and lessons of Biblical women are available to us at all times! We don’t have to schedule a specific date and time to meet with them. All we have to do is open the Bible.

They’re So Relatable

Okay, cool, we can read the stories of women who lived thousands of years ago. Can we really learn anything from them though? Modern society is totally different from the culture they lived in. They didn’t have computers and cyber bullying. They didn’t worry about chemicals in their food or weapons of mass destruction or the stock market tanking.

While the details of our circumstances may vary, the crux of our experiences remains the same from generation to generation – love, family, trusting God, finances, health, happiness. We can take the life lessons they learned and apply them to our lives to hopefully avoid the same pitfalls they faced.

Remember Leah and Rachel? Talk about sibling rivalry! Are you competitive with your siblings? Do you always get along with them? That’s something you have in common with Leah and Rachel.

What about Sarah and Hannah? They waited years to get pregnant. Do you struggle with infertility? Do you desire to be a mother, your patience waning month by month? You’re in good company with Sarah and Hannah.

Take heart! There’s so much to learn from our Biblical foremothers. Crack open your Bible and dive into their stories. You may be surprised by what you discover.

Battle Tested Women

So you’ve read Genesis and 1 Samuel and Luke, and you know the names of several Biblical women and you know their stories. Now what? Why does it matter? How do you take what you learned and apply it to your story?

We live in a complicated world. Sometimes it feels like constant whiplash trying to figure out what’s going on around you and your opinion on it. This isn’t any different than what women experienced thousands of years ago. As turmoil raged around them, they trusted in the Lord. They leaned on their faith during times of crisis. Through strength in God, they stood up for themselves and the women around them, taking hold of the narrative and forever altering it.

The women of the Bible were not doormats. They were spiritual warriors battling a two-front war against the evils of this world and the darkness of the supernatural world. If we learn anything from them, it’s that we, too, can wield this power. Women are not the weaker sex. We never have been, and we never will be.

Look to Abigail, pleading with David to spare her and her household because of her husband’s poor decisions. Look to Zelophehad’s daughters, who fought for inheritance rights for women in a patriarchal society. These women knew their worth as both God’s children and as human beings. Let their examples encourage you to embrace your power to change your story.

Ladies and Legacies

I wonder if our foremothers knew the effect their actions would have on us so many generations later. It’s easy to get caught up in the present and see the results of our decisions in our lifetime, but how often do we look towards the future and the legacy we will leave behind?

The women of the Bible left a remarkable legacy. In the pages of a single book, we can learn not only about following Jesus and trusting God, but also about what it means to be human, what it means to be women, and what it takes to write your own story.