January 01, 1999 by Lorena Wood

From the beginning of time, women have been on the hit list of Satan. He ordered an all out war on the "weaker sex" because it would be from the women's "Seed" (Gal. 3:16) that his downfall would come.

This is, in part, why women are demeaned and considered less than human in many religious spheres in the world. In Islam, women are told to veil themselves because it is the woman that can't control her sensual desires and must be covered. The holy book of Islam--the Qur'an--states that in legal matters it takes two women to equal one man. A Buddhist proverb says, "She is born a woman because she committed a thousand sins in the previous world." In Hinduism, it is common for women to pray to be reincarnated as men.

The vast majority of these women grow up with little or none of the rights many women in the West take for granted. Even Christians, whose Savior gave great dignity and value to women, have not always given women opportunities for service or focused on reaching them.

However, things are changing. In recent years there has been an awakening of interest and a focus on ministering to and empowering women for ministry. Numerous agencies have given special attention to the needs of women around the world--making sure they are being prayed for and reached. God is doing exciting exploits through his daughters in reaching other daughters He tenderly longs to father.

This women-focused issue gives a brief history of women missionaries, snapshots of past and present heroes, the strategic role of women reaching women and the often-deplorable state of women worldwide.

I challenge you to pray specifically for women and, if you are a man, encourage the women in your life or agency to be all that our Father desires them to be by affirming them in their gifts.

May our Great God and Father and His Son, Jesus, empower you to reach some of the more than a billion women who still need to know a loving Heavenly Father.