“…The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
This morning I kept humming the little tune “The joy of the Lord is your strength…” As I hummed, I began to wonder what this really means. It is one of those things that I know is true, but what I wondered was why? So I went right to the source, to Nehemiah 8:10 to find the context for the joyful statement. The context was the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem after, or at the end of the Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah called the people together and Ezra read the law – the word of God- to them. The result was: “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading.” After which Nehemiah declared: “Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The people knew the joy of the Lord when they understood the word of God. The people were made to understand that though they had been in captivity, they were still God’s people. The joy of the Lord is present when we realize that we are His people. Now that I think of it, when I am down and am having a difficult time getting back up, when I remember that Jesus has saved me, the Holy Spirit is living within me, and God loves me, I experience the joy of the Lord and realize that His joy is really my strength. When I understand that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” the joy of the Lord wells up in me. When I realize that I belong to Jesus I experience the joy of the Lord as my strength. It is my prayer that you have this joy as well. Notice that the text says: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” It was personal for each Isareli. It is personal to us and it means that God has given us His joy, which is eternal joy. Then our minds turn to John 15:11, which informs us: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Jesus intends for us to be joyful people; therefore, He has given us His joy. Since this is joy that has its origin in eternity, and is given by the eternal God, it is, indeed, our strength. This means that there is nothing in this world that can steal our joy in Him. It means that there is nothing in this world that we will have to face without His joy in us. It is during difficult times that we go through that we realize the real strength of the joy of the Lord. James expressed what I am trying to relate to you about the joy of the Lord. Look to James 1:2-4: My brethren count it all joy when you fall into diverse (many different kinds of) temptations. 3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect (mature) and entire, wanting nothing.” If that doesn’t say that the joy of the Lord is our strength, I don’t know where we will find it in God’s word. It is not the only statement that would remind us of this, but it is certainly one of the most succinct. What it means is that our faith is strengthened when we undergo all sorts of trials, and when our faith is tested and we stand in our faith, God’s strength enables us to withstand and to thrive. We are better people because of the tests, and temptations, that life throws at us. That is why each of us can say:“The joy of the Lord is (my) strength.” The joy of the Lord is found in the presence of God in our lives and of His work within our lives. It is God who gives us the strength to go on. It is God who forgives us and leads us into righteousness. It is God who has planted the joy of His Son in our lives. For this we owe Him our lives and our devotion. With this in mind, we can sing: “The joy of the Lord is (my) strength.” Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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