Psalm 68:18 … among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
Joy is a huge part of what makes us stand apart from the world as Christians. One of the main things that generate joy in our lives is hope! When we hope in the Lord and trust in Him (we can’t truly trust in Him without surrendering our lives to Him and obeying Him), it brings a joy unspeakable and full of glory and a peace that passes all understanding. When others see us, they should be able to tell that the spirit of God dwells within us just by our joy! While they watch us walk through difficult trials with a smile on our faces because of our hope and trust in the Lord, or when they see us enjoying life even in all the mundane duties and praising God, they should realize that we are different and want to have what we have.
In the Bible, we are given examples of Christians who rejoiced, danced, sang, and who played instruments skillfully to the Lord. Many times it was women who would lead in worship and dancing, such as Miriam who led the Israelite women with timbrels and dancing after crossing over the Red Sea, and Deborah when she sang with Barak after helping and encouraging him to get victory over King Jaban, his captain Sisera and their entire army.
Women have a special calling to radiate joy. The ability we have to set the atmosphere within our homes and families and outside circles is amazing! The Bible speaks a lot about how our attitude affects our own lives and the lives of those around us. It has such an impact that it affects everything about us including the kind of women we become.
Let us first look at the impact the way we speak, act, and live can have in the negative.
Proverbs 21:19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and an angry woman.
Proverbs 27:15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
In these verses, we can definitely see that having a contentious or angry spirit makes others not want to be around us. We certainly cannot picture these women full of joy and thankfulness. At the root of their spirits is selfishness. These women have a bitter spirit of feeling entitled to have things their own way, are always looking angrily at everyone or everything that tries to go against them, and tearing others down makes their own pride feel better. Many Christian women are being greatly influenced by this proud feministic spirit that is so prevalent today and have fallen far from the sweet feminine spirit which God desires for us to obtain.
Now let us study how the joyful feminine spirit affects ourselves, our families, and others and how it pleases the Lord.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praiseth her.
What are some things the virtuous woman does in contrast to the contentious woman that causes her to be so loved, honored, and respected by her family? Her children arise up with honor, they come to her and want to be with her, to learn from her, and they respect and love her, “her husband also.”
Read through Proverbs 31 and notice how unselfish the virtuous woman is – how everything she does is to bless her family or the poor or to make their lives a little more beautiful. She uses every opportunity she can find, she works diligently, and refuses to eat the bread of idleness. She is the definition of charity, seeking not her own in 1 Corinthians 13. What is at the root of her strength?
The Bible says our spirits are our minds! What we think controls what we do, how we treat others, what we say, and even our emotions. If we want to be strong in spirit, we need to take control of our thoughts by thinking good things and choosing to think thoughts that fill us with the joy of the Lord. The Bible says it is the joy of the Lord that is our strength! If we want to be strong in spirit like these Biblical women, we need to be joyful! If we want to become so strong in our calling that we are able to lead and impact others to such a degree that we could encourage and lead an entire nation in praising God if we needed to, we need to fill ourselves with the joy of the Lord!
Sometimes women can fall into the thinking that it is somehow sinful to rejoice with such joy and glorify the Lord and they confuse sobriety and having a meek and quiet spirit, with hiding their joy.
1 Peter 3:4 …even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
When God tells us to be sober and to have a meek and quiet spirit in contrast to a hard, proud, and sarcastic feministic spirit, or a foolish spirit that can’t be serious about the Lord, He does not mean to rejoice with a sad face or to show no emotion, but with joy unspeakable that is still reverent and in the
fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
While a foolish and boastful spirit tries to bring attention to itself, a sober and meek, and quiet spirit seeks to bring attention to the things of the Lord. The virtuous woman does not go around gossiping, sowing discord, or being contentious, but is of a spirit that is quiet as in not boastful of itself. She is quiet as in she watches every word she says and how it will affect her family and others, or whether or not it follows the law of kindness she has set for herself, but she is also not afraid to proclaim that wisdom from a housetop if she needs to or to encourage her family, or dance or sing, or to impact a nation.
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Even God himself sings and rejoices and we represent Him! He created beauty and joy. How could he want us, His beautiful creation, to hide our beauty that brings Him glory as our creator? How much more should we not hide our spiritual beauty that radiates to the world and proclaims the glory and love of Christ! It glorifies God to see us rejoicing and singing of His goodness. If God himself sings and joys over us, how much more should we be constantly joying over Him and resting in His love? A big part of what brings joy is praising God! He wants us to come before His presence with singing!
When God says to shine our light, I don’t think we even come close to understanding just how brilliantly and brightly He wants to shine forth through us! We should be constantly leading in joy. We should lead our families whether married or single, our friends, and everyone around us, and no matter what we are going through, we should always be the leaders of joy, not the world! Whether it be using our gifts in music to bless others or sharing a scripture or kind words, helping one another, or a sweet card or gift, or just a smile to encourage someone, or simply spreading our own joy through our attitude, it all brings glory to the Lord. A dear friend happened to give me a cute little handpainted notebook that says Choose Joy on the cover as I was writing this.
Psalm 100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalms 150:4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
