Day 15 of 30

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (emphasis added)

This passage describes another instance where great joy resulted from an encounter with God’s Word. The people had returned from exile, Nehemiah had led them in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, then a hunger for the Word of God took hold of the people. Around fifty-thousand souls gathered in a public square, and they stood listening for hours as the Word of God was read and explained to them.

There were tears, the Bible says, as the people felt the impact of God’s Word. Make no mistake, if the Word is let loose upon hungry hearts, conviction will take place, sin will be exposed, and people will feel sorrow over that sin. But the people were encouraged to rejoice, because now that they had returned to God and to following His ways, they were now in a position to experience the strengthening of the joy that only God can give.

We need to realize that the joy we need only has one source—it’s the joy of the Lord that gives us strength. People look all over the place for joy like this, and in their search they can even find some diverting pleasures for a while—what we’ve discussed elsewhere as a circumstance-dependent happiness—but there is no such thing as unshakeable joy to be found anywhere except in the heart of someone who is truly a follower of Christ.

The Lord is the source of all things, and when we find ourselves in trouble, in need, at the end of our rope, if you will, that’s when we find out if our joy is real or not. When we discover that God is there with us as we walk through those dark times, that His presence overshadows us no matter what else is taking place, and that His love never fails—not for a second—joy is what follows, and that joy really is our strength.

He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, creator of the universe and ruler of everything He has made. And not only is He King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but you and I can say, He is my King, and He is my Lord. The awesome God who spoke the heavens and the earth into being is calling you and me to walk in relationship with Him as our “f
riend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24). It is our amazing God whose joy is being poured out on us, and who strengthens us through it.

Prayer

Fill me with your joy today, Lord! You are all I will ever need, and I ask you to pour out your joy upon me in abundance! I receive your joy as a precious gift from you, and I receive the strength your joy gives me. Thank you, Lord, that as I draw near to you, you draw near to me, and when you draw near, your joy fills me completely!

Joyful Gems

“To ascertain where you really are with the Lord, recall what saddened you the past month. Was it the realization that you do not love Jesus enough? That you did not seek his face in prayer often enough? That you did not care for his people enough? Or did you get depressed over a lack of respect, criticism from an authority figure, your finances, a lack of friends, fears about the future, or your bulging waistline?

“Conversely, what gladdened you the past month? Reflection on your election to the Christian community? The joy of saying slowly, ‘Abba, Father’? The afternoon you stole away for two hours with only the gospel as your companion? A small victory over selfishness? Or were the sources of your joy a new car, a Brooks Brothers suit, a great date, great sex, a raise, or a loss of four inches from your waistline?”

Brennan Manning

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Scripture quotations from the ESV®, NIV®, AMP, NKJV, The Message, and NLT. Scripture credits · About the author