“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Proverbs 31:25
What are you afraid of? Spiders? Snakes? Heights? Small spaces? These are very real fears and there are many more phobias from which people suffer. There’s even a fear of phobias! It seems to me that the real fear is a lack of control. I wouldn’t hate spiders so much if I knew they were going to stay over there and not come near me. But since I don’t know when a spider is going to start crawling on me, or worse, when I might walk into a spider’s web, I have a fear of them. I know the fear is irrational. But I can’t control spiders, therefore I fear them. A fear of heights is really a fear of falling off that height and therefore losing control. I won’t go so far as to say that every fear is really a fear of lack of control, but I can’t think of one that doesn’t boil down to that.
A very common fear is a fear of the future. We don’t know what’s going to happen and so we have no control over it. Therefore, we fear it. What if bad things happen? Many of us play the “what if” game much too often. The entire insurance industry is built on this very game. But according to this verse, the Proverbs 31 woman (or man) is able to laugh at the days to come. There’s not even a hint of fear. In fact, it’s almost a mocking laughter. It’s as if she’s taunting the future to take its best shot – she’s ready. How can she be so sure she’s ready? First, she’s worked hard to be ready. She’s stored up food, made money, bought clothing. All the things a woman of that day needed to do to be prepared for the future.
But there’s a bigger reason she’s ready. Look at the first half of this verse. She’s prepared spiritually and emotionally. She has a strength that is greater than a physical strength. It’s an ability to stand strong in the face of opposition. I think of a stronghold, like a stone tower built to withstand the attacks of the enemy. That’s the picture of this woman. How do we attain that kind of strength? By knowing that our strength comes only from the Lord. She also has dignity. This is an awe-inspiring majesty or splendor. Again, this can only come from God. So she is strong and established in her relationship with the One who controls the future. She doesn’t need to know what the future holds. It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, she knows that God will give her exactly what she needs to face it. Because of that, there is the joy of laughter that comes from a complete absence of fear.
What are you facing? Are you unsure what your future holds? Or maybe you know, and you’re not sure how you’re going to be able to handle it. Or perhaps you’re in a tough season right now and just not sure how you’re going to make it through. Look to God. Rest in Him. He’ll give you the ability to laugh at the days to come.