And her lamp does not go out at night.
Proverbs 31:18b

I have heard this passage referred to in contempt; if this woman works all day AND all night, when does she have time for sleep? when is her body physically renewed? when do she and her husband share intimacies?
Yet, that is not the message that I see in this verse.
The Proverbs 31 woman is not possessive of her time. Not even the night time hours. She realizes that all of the time she has been given in a blessing to her which she is to use to bless others.
This virtuous woman did make use of the evening hours to be productive in her home. Perhaps this was time spent in family worship. Or cuddling with her husband discussing the events of the day and their dreams for the future. This may have been a time for her to serve her hard-working husband a home cooked meal. This may have been a time when she sat down and made a plan for and prayed over the next day’s activities. Maybe family and friends came to the house and she and her husband spent time with dear friends in good discussion. These are productive uses of evening hours, things for which a lamp would be needed after the sun went down.
Yes, this woman, like me, needs sleep every night to keep her body healthy and strong. It is unwise to think that this woman literally worked all night. It is said that her body is strong in this passage. This implies that she works hard, eats well, and sleeps. Nighttime sleep is essential if we are to be healthy and fully energized for the work that God has called us to. We must rest and we must sleep.
However, we must not be selfish with our time. Many Americans seem to hold sleep and relaxation as something more important than it deserves. We know that we need time to rest and relax. To get “away from it all” to have a little “R & R” and some “me time.” But have we become obsessed with, fiercely protective of, and overly pre-occupied with our need for rest and sleep? Have I?
We are called to be servants to those around us. Are we willing to go on less hours of sleep than we desire to serve those around us? By having her lamp lit at night, the Proverbs 31 woman was prepared to serve others, even if those needs arose after dark or in the middle of the night. Am I willing to be called on in the middle of the night to watch the children of a friend who has gone into labor? Am I willing to stay up later than usual to listen to or talk with a friend or a family member? If I lose sleep due to spending time loving and serving people, am I grumpy and upset the next day for what I was asked to give up?
I believe that a wise and virtuous woman will make every effort to get a decent night’s sleep to keep her healthy and strong for her work. However, she is also careful not to be selfish about the time that she has been blessed with and is willing to serve and love on others whenever she is presented the opportunity, day or night.
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Proverbs 31:10-31 is a very convicting passage for me as a wife and homemaker. I pray that as you read these posts, you know that I am speaking just as much to myself as I am to any of my readers. May we all be challenged to pursue godly womanhood to an even deeper level that we may see God move in powerful ways!