The Lord keeps impressing on me to let his joy be our strength when we are tired, drained and needing more than another cup of coffee or a hit from a 'Five Hour Energy' container.
Let the joy of the Lord lift us up and guide us on those long days and short sleepless night.
Let the joy of the Lord pick us up and direct our paths when we are lost and searching aimlessly for direction in our lives, our careers, our future.
Nehemiah 8:10 says, “This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Read Nehemiah 8:1-12 and you will get a better feel for what is happening, and why the joy of the Lord is our strength, and what brings about real joy for us.
In the passage, the people of Israel are encouraged to eat, drink and be joyful after they have heard the law of the Lord. It has been thoroughly explained by their teachers/preachers, and they have wept in repentance.
And what do I hear God saying in all of this? Read the Bible, seek its meaning, repent, and then go and share over food and drink to receive real joy.
This joy, gladness, is not happiness that depends on our circumstances and our moods, which has to do with our emotions or station in life.
This joy is something that is constant. It is from within us because He lives within. One can have the same joy in terrible circumstance that they would have when all is well, the same attitude of being on the mountain top when they are in the valley.
Paul who wrote to churches from the solitude of a prison cell said to the Philippians “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 3:1).
Christian teacher Charles Spurgeon gives a marvelous explanation of the joy of the Lord being his strength. He says, “Never be content with hearing a sermon unless you can understand it, and if there be a truth that is above you, strain after it, strive to know it. Bible-reader, do not be content with going through the words of the chapter: pray the Holy Ghost to tell you the meaning, and use proper means for finding out that meaning; ask those who know, and use your own enlightened judgment to discover the sense. When shall we have done with formalism of worship and come into living adoration?”
There a song “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength” and at times the words run through my mind. When thinking these thoughts I am not bummed but uplifted. I realize that this is what Godly songs can do, they reiterate the Word and build our faith, our believing, because they are speaking the Word to us.
Joy is just part of our strength. When we have the joy of the Lord we will rely on the strength that God has given us. If we are joyful we can more easily trust in God who is our strength.
In closing, my prayer is Romans 15:13 (NLT), which reads: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Be blessed.
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