The Joy of The LORD is your strength
Remember that old song - ha ha ha
Didn't know it was in Nehemiah.
I was thinking of that verse on the way home today. I'm not feeling very joyful. I've said many times, over the past three years, that the only joyful - happy thing in my life was my little Elijah.
He kept my heart beating when everything around me was dark and gloomy! And I may not see him again for a long, long time. And I'm worried about him. And as the tears started to leak out of my old eyes again, I remember that song...the joy of the LORD is my strength. Or should be. Right? I remember early in my walk with the LORD thinking maybe we were misreading that verse. Maybe it wasn't about us being joyful. Maybe it was saying that when we were strong it gave God joy...that He could look down us, as we struggled but kept going, as we stumbled but did not fall, did not give up...that our strength gave Him joy...like a parent who is proud of the winning child. I had to look it up. It is in Nehemiah 8 - verse10.
"this day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep...(they were crying because they realized that they had not kept up their part of the covenent)Then he said to them, "Go eat, of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Well, right now I don't feel very joyful or very strong...but it is a beautiful day, and I'll be having lunch with my eldest son in a few minutes...thanks be to God.
5 comments:
i'm thinking along the same lines - that when we give God joy, that's our strength. something like that :)
Have you ever noticed you will put a lot more effort into something you enjoy than something you don't? For the truly faithful, God's joy brings us joy, and that joy infuses us with strength.
I don't think that song is talking about human joy. The next verse goes on to say, "If you want joy, you must ask for it." I believe that, regardless of the condition of our spirits, we can ask God for His joy - that is, a deep and abiding bubbling up in our spirit that belies the human emotions we may be feeling. Even in the midst of a deep sadness, God's joy can be present to us.
I'm sorry you're feeling so downcast and discouraged. But I believe God's joy is there for the asking and will bring you great strength.
I'm offering up a prayer for you myself.
I'm with you girl! You know, something, that word, "fat" has turned up everywhere for me in scripture and devotions and other stuff for the last couple days. I'm not sure how God is speaking to me in that but I will definitely ask Him!
I've had several people in the last few weeks spontaneously tell me about how God has been faithful in taking care of them - which is interesting, considering I've been struggling with that. "The Joy of the LORD is your strength." That's good stuff.
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