SHE 31 - Woman Of ValourSample

What does the word joy mean to you? What comes to mind when you hear the word “joy”? Maybe you associate it with happiness or a nice feeling or things going well in life. Maybe it’s something you live with daily or maybe it’s something that seems distant and fleeting. Maybe you’re not sure if you’ve ever experienced joy. 

The Proverbs 31 woman knows something about joy. This famous verse (v. 25) shows us how she lives day by day- “She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future.” So what does joy have to do with that?

Consider: What is joy?

The best definition of joy that I’ve ever found comes from Kay Warren who defines it as “the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.”

Joy isn’t a warm feeling. It’s not dependent on what’s going on around us. Joy isn’t about the good times. It’s not about happiness - happiness is temporary, but joy doesn't need to be. It’s the assurance that God is in control and the overflow of expression that comes from truly living out that truth.

Context: Why bother?

We can laugh without fear of the future because scripture tells us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength”. And joy is fundamental to God’s nature. He is joy. 

When the joy of the Lord really is our strength we can face anything. We can choose joy even when everything around us seems to be sinking. We can praise Him through the pain, because our joy comes from His strength, not from our own. 

Over to you: Ask yourself…..

• What is your definition of joy? Does it need to change to match what the Bible says?
• How can you make the joy of the Lord your strength? And how can you practically model that to others to encourage them to do the same?