"For such a time as this." – Esther 4:14
As I look back over this past year of writing about remarkable women of faith, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Month after month, we have explored the lives of women who loved Jesus deeply and left a lasting impact on the world around them. We have learned from missionaries, authors, reformers, evangelists, and everyday women who chose faithfulness over comfort.
But as I considered who should be named Rooted in Faith's first Woman of the Year, one name continued to come to mind: Beth Moore.
Not because she is famous. Not because she has sold millions of books. Not because she fills conference arenas.
But because for decades, Beth Moore has faithfully pointed women to Jesus and His Word, helping countless women from every background discover that God sees them, loves them, and calls them by name.
Her influence reaches across generations, denominations, cultures, races, and life experiences. Whether you are a young woman searching for direction, a mother raising children, a grandmother passing down wisdom, or a woman carrying wounds few people know about, chances are Beth Moore has spoken words that resonated with your heart.
How Beth Moore Impacted My Own Journey
As I write this, I realize that Beth Moore's influence on my life is more personal than simply being a woman whose books I've read or whose Bible studies I've completed.
In my twenties, God revealed to me that one day I would teach the Bible to women. To be honest, I had mixed emotions. I was excited because I loved God's Word and wanted to serve Him. But I was also terrified. Teaching the Bible felt like a huge responsibility, and I didn't feel qualified for such a calling.
Years later, I joined a women's Bible study where about ten to fifteen women gathered together to work through one of Beth Moore's studies. Watching women open Scripture together, ask questions, grow in faith, and encourage one another was beautiful.
The following year, I stepped into a role I never would have imagined years before.
I taught a women's Bible study using Beth Moore's Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman study.
What an incredible experience that was.
As we studied Esther's story, we saw God's sovereignty, His perfect timing, His protection, and His faithfulness even when He seemed hidden. It wasn't just the women in the class who learned and grew. I did too.
Looking back now, I can see how God used those experiences to help prepare me for the ministry He had placed on my heart years earlier.
For more than a decade, I have listened to Beth teach God's Word. Through her ministry, the Holy Spirit has taught me countless lessons. Yet there are two in particular that have stayed with me over the years.
The first came during a season when I was struggling with guilt and frustration.
I found myself working far more hours than I had in previous years. Before I had been able to spend large amounts of uninterrupted time with God each day. I loved those hours in prayer, Bible study, and quiet reflection.
But then life looked different.
I wanted to spend the same amount of time with God as I had years before, but there simply were not enough hours in the day. The harder I tried to maintain the exact same routine, the more exhausted I became.
I felt like I was failing.
Then I heard Beth say something that brought tremendous freedom to my heart.
She explained that God understands the seasons of our lives.
He understands when we have more available time and when we have less. He understands the stay-at-home mom caring for small children. He understands the woman working long hours. He understands the caregiver, the student, the wife, the grandmother, and the woman walking through difficult circumstances. God is not surprised by the season we're in.
That truth changed my perspective. Instead of trying to force every season to look exactly the same, I learned to seek God faithfully within the season He had given me.
The second lesson may have impacted my prayer life more than any other. Beth said, "Don't put your faith in your prayer. Put your faith in God."
That simple statement completely changed the way I approached prayer.
Sometimes we worry that we didn't say the right words, pray long enough, pray passionately enough, or pray with enough faith. But our confidence is not in the perfection of our prayers. Our confidence is in the faithfulness of God. The power is not in the prayer itself. The power is in the One who hears it.
God has always been faithful to His Word. He has always been faithful to His promises. He has always been faithful to His children.
That truth continues to encourage me today.
A Woman Captivated by God's Word
Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and raised in Arkansas, Beth never set out to become one of the most recognizable Bible teachers in the world.
She simply fell in love with Scripture.
What began as a personal passion for studying God's Word eventually grew into a ministry that would touch millions of lives. Through Living Proof Ministries, Bible studies, books, conferences, podcasts, and speaking engagements, Beth has consistently encouraged women to move beyond surface-level Christianity and develop a genuine relationship with Jesus.
One of the reasons so many women connect with Beth is that she never presents herself as someone who has everything figured out. She speaks honestly about her struggles, weaknesses, fears, and failures. She reminds us that spiritual maturity is not about perfection. It is about perseverance.
Women are often exhausted by unrealistic expectations. We feel pressure to have the perfect family, the perfect appearance, the perfect home, and the perfect spiritual life.
Beth has spent years reminding women that God is not looking for perfection. He is looking for surrender.
Paul wrote: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
That message resonates because every woman understands weakness. And every woman needs grace.
Reaching Women Across Every Background
One of the most beautiful things about Beth Moore's ministry is its ability to connect with women from vastly different walks of life. Women living in large cities and women living in small rural towns. Women who grew up in church and women who never opened a Bible until adulthood. Women from different races, cultures, educational backgrounds, and economic circumstances.
What makes that possible?
The answer is simple. Beth points people toward the one thing every human being has in common: our need for Jesus.
The gospel is not limited by geography. It is not limited by skin color. It is not limited by age. It is not limited by culture. The cross stands as God's invitation to every tribe, every nation, every language, and every people group.
Revelation 7:9 paints a beautiful picture: "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb."
Beth's ministry reflects that same vision. While our stories may be different, our Savior is the same. A woman in North Carolina may not share the same experiences as a woman in Kenya, Brazil, India, or South Korea. Yet both can find hope in the promises of God. Both can find healing at the feet of Jesus. Both can discover that they are deeply loved by their Creator.
Teaching Truth with Compassion
We live in a world filled with division. People are divided by politics, race, social status, age, nationality, and countless other labels.
Sadly, those divisions sometimes find their way into churches as well.
What has stood out to me about Beth over the years is her willingness to emphasize what matters most: Jesus Christ. That does not mean avoiding difficult conversations. It means approaching people with both truth and compassion. Jesus embodied both perfectly.
John 1:14 tells us that He came full of grace and truth. Not grace without truth. Not truth without grace. Both.
Beth's teaching has consistently challenged women to know Scripture, think deeply, and love boldly.
She encourages women not merely to attend church but to become students of God's Word.
She teaches that biblical literacy matters because a woman grounded in Scripture is less likely to be tossed around by every new idea, trend, or cultural pressure.
In an age where opinions are everywhere, God's truth remains unchanging.
A Legacy Beyond the Platform
Many people know Beth as a Bible teacher. But her greatest legacy may be the women she has inspired.
For decades, women have gathered around kitchen tables, in church fellowship halls, in living rooms, online groups, and Bible study classes to open God's Word together through her studies.
Friendships have formed.
Marriages have been strengthened.
Prodigals have come home.
Faith has grown.
Women have learned to pray.
Women have learned to trust God through suffering.
Women have discovered that Scripture is not merely a book to read but a living message that transforms lives.
Hebrews 4:12 says: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword."
Beth has never claimed that she changes lives. She continually points to the One who does. That distinction matters.
The goal of every faithful teacher is not to gather followers for themselves but to lead people closer to Jesus.
Why Beth Moore Is Rooted in Faith's Woman of the Year
As I reflect on the women we have studied this year, I am grateful for each one.
Yet Beth Moore represents something especially meaningful. She reminds us that ordinary women can have extraordinary impact when they remain rooted in God's Word. She reminds us that faithfulness matters. She reminds us that Bible study is not reserved for pastors, scholars, or seminary students. It is for every woman.
For me personally, Beth's influence extends beyond books and Bible studies. God used her teaching during a season when I was learning to step into my own calling to teach women. He used her words to free me from guilt, deepen my understanding of prayer, and strengthen my confidence in His faithfulness.
While I am thankful for her ministry's impact on millions of women, I am equally thankful for the way God used it in my own life.
Most importantly, Beth reminds us that Jesus is enough. In a culture constantly searching for identity, significance, and purpose, she has spent decades pointing women to the One who satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart.
Her ministry has reached women of every race, age, culture, and background because the message she shares is universal: God sees you. God loves you. God knows your name. And through Jesus Christ, there is hope. For those reasons and many more, Beth Moore is Rooted in Faith's very first Woman of the Year.
Reflection and Application
As you reflect on Beth Moore's story and influence, I encourage you to think about the women who have helped shape your own walk with Christ.
Who taught you how to pray? Who encouraged you to open your Bible and study God's Word for yourself? Who stood beside you during difficult seasons and pointed you back to Jesus? Perhaps it was a well-known Bible teacher. Perhaps it was your mother, grandmother, sister, friend, Sunday school teacher, or mentor. Thank God for those women.
Then consider these questions:
- Am I making time for God in the season I'm currently in, rather than comparing it to another season?
- Am I placing my faith in my prayers, or in the faithful God who hears them?
- Am I rooted deeply in God's Word?
- Am I encouraging other women to grow in their faith?
- How can God use my story to point someone else toward Jesus?
You may never teach thousands of women. You may never write books or speak at conferences. But you can influence the women God places in your path.
A conversation over coffee.
A text message filled with encouragement.
A prayer offered at just the right moment.
An invitation to study Scripture together.
Faithfulness in the small things often becomes part of God's bigger story. Like Beth Moore, each of us can leave a legacy of pointing others to Jesus.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the faithful women You have raised up to teach, encourage, and strengthen Your daughters. Thank You for Beth Moore and the countless lives that have been impacted through her ministry over the years, including my own.
We pray that You would continue to bless Beth, strengthen her, and guide her as she serves You. Pour out Your wisdom, grace, and peace upon her. Protect her health and well-being, and surround her with Your presence each day.
Lord, we also lift up her family, friends, and the staff who serve alongside her. Bless them, encourage them, and provide for their every need. May they experience Your peace, joy, and faithfulness in every season.
Help us to be women who are rooted deeply in Your Word and faithful to the calling You have placed on our lives. Teach us to trust You in every season and to place our faith not in our own strength, but in Your unfailing promises.
May our lives point others to Jesus, just as Beth's ministry has done for so many years.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
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