She wraps strength around her waist like a belt.

Proverbs 31:17

"She surrounds her waist with strength

And makes her arms strong"

NASB

There is a footnote in one of my Bibles that states the literal translation for this verse can read

 "She wraps strength around her waist like a belt"

... and the Amplified describes it like this:

She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task]

And makes her arms strong.

As I was contemplating this verse on strength, wrapping it around our waist and making our arms strong, wondering how do we do this as the bride of Christ, the following scriptures came to mind:

Nehemiah 8:10

Then Ezra said to them, “Go [your way], eat the rich festival food, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.” Ampl

Ephesians 6:14

So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), Ampl

Ephesians 3:16-19

May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, 18 be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; 19 and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]. Ampl

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

4 The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,

So how strong would we be if we wrap joy around our waist and worship God with joyful arms held high.  When we dress ourselves with the belt of truth and stand our ground, when we bring every disobedient thought into captivity and subject it to the authority of God, breaking down all lofty arguments that exalt themselves against God?  How strong are we when we are strengthened through His Spirit in our inner man so that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, being deeply rooted and grounded in His love for us, being completely filled and flooded with God Himself? 

That I think is a pretty amazing picture of the strength of the bride of Christ - and it is by no means a complete picture.

So the question for this week is:  What does the belt around my waist look like ?  Am I surrounded by His strength?  

"She surrounds her waist with strength

And makes her arms strong"

NASB

Your Love Surrounds me