She Laughs at the Days to Come

“Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world.” ―Henri J.M. Nouwen

Proverbs 31:25:

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come” (NIV).

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” (NLT).

“Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future” (NASB).

“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come” (KJV).

I’ve been contemplating this verse for the past few weeks and have been wondering: How can she laugh at the days to come without fear of the future? How can we rejoice in a world that is so broken and where injustice sometimes appears to be accelerating without any intervention? For those working to secure social justice for the oppressed, we need this Scripture! It is estimated that there are at least 27 million slaves in the world today, more than any other time in human history. With statistics like this, and the injustices that can be seen everyday around us, how can we possibly walk out Proverbs 31:25? A book I’m reading (Champagne for the Soul: Rediscovering God’s Gift of Joy by Mike Mason) states: “Open your eyes and look around at this world of pain, and then try to justify being happy. It can’t be done, Joy is not rational; its mystery cannot be plumbed; no philosophy leads there. Some circumstances may hold reasonable grounds for joy, but to rejoice always—this is beyond reason, beyond understanding.”

And yet we are commanded to rejoice always? (1 Thess. 5:16)

Applying Proverbs 31:25 is much like applying any other verse of Scripture: it is something that is supernatural and can only be done by the work of God’s grace in our life, and through the renewing of our mind in Christ Jesus. God has been teaching me the spiritual discipline of joy and celebration. I have been researching and doing what I can to combat the injustice of sex trafficking for the past five years, and I have encountered many broken justice systems, many hopeless people, and many devastating circumstances along the way. The enemy wants to steal our joy, but for those who are hidden in Christ, joy is like a fountain of water flowing out of our inner being.

For those fighting for justice, for those overwhelmed by the evils of this world, for those in need of a glimmer of hope - look to Jesus. He is the Author and Perfector of our faith, and it was for the joy that was set before Him that He endured the cross. Let’s set before us the joy of giving Jesus the reward of His suffering through our obedience, and walk through injustice rejoicing in the days to come because we know that our God is the Lord of the battle and love with have its day.

There WILL be an end to suffering. This is the hope we can cling to. The foundations of His throne are righteousness and justice. Restoration is coming. All things WILL be made new. Jesus ever lives to make intercession, reconciling all things back to the Father. He is the God of Redemption. We have the privilege to partner with Him now in establishing justice, bringing the kingdom to earth. As we fight this battle, as we work to secure justice for the oppressed, as we fight the good fight of faith, looking upon Jesus, we will behold the beauty of the Lamb who was slain, the One who gave of Himself to see His people walk into the fullness of restoration.

Take heart! Rejoice, for He promises restoration. God’s heart for restoration is seen all throughout Scripture. His dedication to seeing Israel brought back to restoration after their exile is seen through the Old Testament. God promised Israel, “I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel (Ezekiel 39:25). “I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow” (Jeremiah 31:13). “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). “I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy” (Hosea 2:19).

We are promised restoration. We are made into a new creation in Christ Jesus, the old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17). We have the divine privilege to be the temples of the Holy Spirit. Israel rebuilt the temple in Haggai, and God strengthened the hands of Zerubabbel by His Spirit to complete the temple so God’s Spirit could again dwell with Israel. When Israel repented, the Lord took away the judgments against them. It says in Zephaniah 3:15-19: “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said of Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion: Let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exalt over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.”

When we are exposed to the troubles of the world, to injustice and suffering, we can find comfort in knowing that suffering breeds endurance and that true joy only comes from Christ - when we are dependent upon Him to stir our hearts again with His winds of refreshing. Suffering shows us our fragility, brokenness, and the brokenness of the world and the people around us. But we take heart in knowing that God is near the brokenhearted. Glad are those who are crushed in spirit (Matt. 5:3). God does not despise those with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). God desires our brokenness, because it is in our broken state that He can fill us and fully possess us with His Spirit, making us strong out of weakness.

We can laugh in the face of opposition because we know that our life is hidden with Christ. We can continue to entrust ourselves and others to Him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). He is our Resting Place, He is our Dwelling Place, He is our Hiding Place. In Him we find joy, peace, and comfort through the fiery trials of the soul that exposure to injustice can bring. We can enjoy His presence in the midst of suffering because He is with us even in tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword (Romans 8:35). If we make our bed in Sheol, in the depths, He is there (Psalm 139:8).

We can have hope and freedom to laugh at the days to come, to smile and rejoice in the time to come without fear because we know that Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33). We can laugh at the days to come because our hope is secure in Christ. We can walk without fear of the future because by faith we can rejoice in the redemption and restoration that we know is coming. The dwelling place of God shall be with man. He will be our God and we shall be His people. This life is a vapor; it’s only a shadow of what’s to come…

Revelation 21:1-7: The new heaven and the new earth are coming: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Joy will naturally flow into and out of a life surrendered to the will of the Father because His ways lead us to life abundant. This means even if we are beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, or in danger or hardship - as the Apostle Paul was - we can find contentment and be glad because we are hidden in Christ, who is our life and source of joy.

There is a story about a man who was locked away in the dark in solitary confinement for a year in China. When he was let out, he was almost blind from the lack of light, but his face was radiant. People would ask about what his experience in solitary confinement was like, and he would say something like this: “It was like a honeymoon with Jesus. I wish I could go back, I would love to do it again.”

Wow. God’s presence truly satisfies.

“Joy is the serious business of heaven.” – C. S. Lewis

When the joy of the Lord is our source of strength (Neh. 8:10), when we look to Christ for all our needs and allow His Spirit to rest upon us, then we can be living in the midst of a war zone like Nehemiah and yet rejoice because we know that the battle is the Lord’s. It is He who goes with us and promises to be with us - to the ends of the earth and to the end of the age.

God is inviting us to throw off our chains and come running to Him. He invites us into His very near presence so we can receive the oil of gladness. Though we walk through the Valley of Baca (the Valley of Weeping), we will make it a place of springs, and we will go from strength to strength (Psalm 84:6-7). Springs of joy will burst forth as we freely drink from the river of life. We will bear fruit in every season as we rejoice through suffering.

He beckons us to come and climb His mountain of joy, to dance with Him through the valley of weeping, to dance with Him in the garden. Though the way is treacherous, His strong right hand is right here to guide us. His comfort rests upon us. His peace abides in us as we seek His face, as we set our heart on this pilgrimage.

For those of us fighting for the oppressed, we must guard our time in the secret place. Without it, we will be unfruitful and we will grow discouraged, bitter, cynical, tired, spiritually malnourished, and burnt out. Trust me, I’ve been there - more than once. But I can testify that His presence breathes refreshing over us, giving us everything needed for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Let’s rest in the Presence daily, abiding in the vine moment by moment, or it will all be vanity.

Let’s not forget to practice the art of celebration. To do this, we must look to Him who is the Author and Perfector of our faith, the One who walked through suffering for the joy that was set before Him: the hope of seeing us walk through redemption and restoration by His blood.

Those who believe are filled with JOY INEXPRESSIBLE. “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8).