The Bible is full of strong women who can be incredible role models for our daughters. Not long ago, we shared 5 women in the Old Testament with testimonies of faithfulness, wisdom, and strength. 

But the New Testament has its fair share of women to admire. Many of these women were loved by Jesus during His earthly ministry, a sign of how men and women are equal in the kingdom of God. During the time the New Testament was written, women were not treated close to equally. And yet, Jesus loved women, taught women, and sought out women to share the Good News. Luke 8:1–3 lists three women who followed Jesus along with the disciples: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna. Women also played a pivotal role in the early church, serving as deaconesses (Phoebe), funding missionary efforts, and opening their homes to Paul and other apostles. 

Here are the stories of some amazing New Testament women to share with your daughter (and son):

5 More Amazing Women from the Bible to Inspire Girls

Mary (The Mother of Jesus)

Find her story in Luke 1&2 

Her Story: Mary was a young woman, engaged to a man named Joseph. But in a dream, an angel of the Lord told her that she was going to have a baby who was the Son of God! Her baby would be Jesus, the Savior of the world, the Messiah her people had waited for for thousands of years. But Mary was afraid! And yet, she praised God. Even though her whole world was going to be turned upside down, and she didn’t know what was going to happen, she praised God. Luke 1:46–55 records a beautiful prayer Mary made when she learned she was pregnant with Jesus. 

Mary appears throughout the gospels in stories about Jesus’s life, and Jesus always loved her and cared for her deeply. When He died, He asked His disciple John to take care of her (John 19:26–27). 

Her Strength: Mary loved God, and trusted Him. Even though she knew she would have a lot of challenges as the mother of Jesus, she praised God. Her willingness to serve the Lord is an inspiration! 

Martha & Mary

Find their story in Luke 10:38–42; John 11

Their Story: Martha and Mary were sisters, and they were dear friends of Jesus. Jesus visited them and their brother Lazarus. Jesus even stayed with them! In Luke 10, Jesus visited Martha and Mary. Martha was very welcoming and hospitable, and Mary sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to Him teach. 

In John 11, their brother Lazarus died. John wrote that “Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.” Jesus went to visit shortly after Lazarus had died, and Mary and Martha were mourning. Martha asked Jesus why He had waited so long, because she knew Jesus could have healed Lazarus. Even though she was incredibly sad, she told Jesus, “ But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Martha also said that she believed Jesus was the Christ, the Savior who came to the world. Martha believed in Jesus! Martha, Mary, and Jesus went to Lazarus’s tomb, and Jesus raised him from the dead. 

Their Strengths: Martha and Mary loved Jesus, and we can learn so much from their devotion to Him. Martha showed Jesus hospitality by welcoming Him into her home; Mary showed her love by listening to Jesus carefully. When they were incredibly sad because Lazarus had died, they asked Jesus to come. They trusted that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. Even before they knew Jesus would raise Lazarus, they believed that everything Jesus said was true. We can learn so much from their faith and the ways they loved Jesus! 

The Women at the Tomb 

Find their story in Matthew 28:1–10; Mark 16; Luke 24

Their Story: After Jesus died on the cross, His body was buried in a tomb covered by a very large stone. Roman guards stood outside. On the day He was buried, two women went to visit the tomb: Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and John. In Luke’s account, the women prepared Jesus’s body for the tomb and anointed it with perfume and spices. When they came back three days later, and found the stone was gone and the tomb was empty! 

An angel appeared to them and told them that Jesus had risen from the dead! They left the tomb to go tell the disciples with “fear and great joy,” but then they met Jesus on the road! Jesus revealed Himself to them. They immediately began to worship Him, and then they went to tell the others all about what had happened. Jesus chose two women to be the first ones to see Him after his resurrection! And they shared the good news with His disciples. The disciples didn’t believe them at first, but soon Jesus appeared to them too. 

Their Strengths: We can learn so much from the women who found the empty tomb! First, we know that they anointed and prepared Jesus’s body for burial. As sad as they were, they showed Jesus respect and honor. Later, when Jesus revealed Himself to them after the resurrection, they were filled with joy! And they didn’t keep the news to themselves; they ran straight to tell the disciples. Jesus had entrusted these women with the most important message, and they obeyed Him and shared the good news. 

RELATED POST: 5 Amazing Women from the Bible to Inspire Girls

Lydia

Find her story in Acts 16:11-15

Her Story: Lydia has an amazing story! She was a Gentile woman (which means she wasn’t Jewish). She was meeting with some other women in Philippi when Paul and Timothy arrived. They were looking for a prayer gathering, and Paul ended up sharing about Jesus. Lydia loved God, and Paul’s teaching converted her to be a follower of Jesus. Then everyone in her family became followers of Jesus too! And they were all baptized. 

But Lydia was also a wealthy woman, who sold purple cloth. She had so many resources to share with Paul and the church, and she did! Her generosity is inspiring, because her love of Jesus compelled her to share. She invited Paul and Timothy to stay in her home. Later in the same chapter, after Paul was miraculously released from prison, he went straight to Lydia’s house. She opened her home, supported Paul’s ministry, and loved Jesus! 

Her Strength: Lydia loved God, followed Jesus, and joined other women in prayer. She was a successful businesswoman who sold purple cloth, and had resources to share with Paul and others who were sharing the gospel. She opened her home to Paul, and he returned to it after escaping prison, which means she was willing to risk her own safety to protect Paul. We can be so thankful for the example of Lydia’s strength, hospitality, and generosity. 

Priscilla

Find her story in Acts 18

Her Story: Priscilla and her husband Aquila were tentmakers, like Paul. Paul stayed in their home when he visited Corinth. Priscilla and Aquila had been sent out of Rome because they were Jewish. Priscilla is named alongside her husband as a leader in the early church, which is another example of how women were treated very differently by Christians. Women were respected and seen as leaders! Priscilla and Aquila went with Paul on one of his missionary journeys, and they stayed in Ephesus. While in Ephesus, they helped a young teacher named Apollos learn more about the gospel and become a better teacher. 

Her Strengths: While we don’t have a ton of detail about Priscilla, it is remarkable how much Luke (the writer of Acts) talks about her actions. She traveled with Paul to help share the gospel. She invited him into her home; she was a tentmaker, which means she worked and helped provide for her family. And she offered correction to Apollos, helping him understand more about Jesus. Priscilla gives us a beautiful example of teaching and sharing the Gospel. 

Each of these women, and many more in the Old and New Testaments, can teach us so much about living for God. We can all be inspired by their trust of God, love of Jesus, and the way they served the early church. From Mary’s brave “yes” to God, to the women at the tomb gently caring for Jesus’s body, to Lydia and Priscilla’s economic power and support of the early church, these 5 women are wonderful examples for our girls. There are many more stories of strong women where these came from. You can find a few of them on page 178 of The Laugh and Learn Bible for Kids, one of our favorite collections of Bible stories for kids. Why not spend some time in your family devotions looking at these stories, teaching kids about the faith of their spiritual mothers in Christ? It’s not just young girls who need to hear these stories. We can all learn from these strong women of the Bible.