Who Are The Bible Belles | Deborah: The Belle of Leadership

“The wisdom to know what needs to be done and to stir action in ourselves and others toward a goal is essential to finding and carrying out God’s plan and purpose for each of our lives.”

When I was younger, I thought leaders were leaders because they were loud, because they didn’t listen to anyone, and because they had an agenda that always prevailed despite the hurt feelings, the lost friendships, and the new enemies. I used to marvel at those types of women because they didn’t care about anyone else, they just did their thing. I used to think that was a sign of strength, but the thing about true leadership is that you have to care about everyone else, because leadership isn’t a royal regime, it’s the life of a servant.

Deborah was a true leader. As one of the judges who was in charge of seeing justice through to her community, Deborah led by following God. She led by consulting with and listening for Him, being brave enough to follow His call and by being faithful to wherever He had placed her. Deborah was a servant, which is why God called her to lead.

Whether she was presiding over matters in the community, or riding off into battle in an army of 10,000 men, Deborah was a leader no matter where she went because she was always leaving breadcrumbs of the wisdom and knowledge of God to those who were coming up behind her. It wasn’t Deborah’s strength that she depended on to stir her comrades and neighbors into action, it was God’s strength.