The Joy of the Lord

hen he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.—Nehemiah 8:10

I have always loved the story of Nehemiah. It is a story of security, reconciliation, and restoration with the Father. It is a picture of our secure position of investment in the process of relationship and redemption by grace. If you have never read it, I encourage you to do so soon!

For me, I see the words of David in Ps. 91 in this story—He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” It is a very good life living in the presence of the one who is Love.

In his story, Nehemiah oversaw the rebuilding of the broken-down walls of Jerusalem about 70 years after the return of Judah from their Babylonian exile. This brought security, identity, and the reality of God’s goodness and protection to the people once again. There are a lot of very good truths that happen in this story. Today, I want to focus on the power of our identity in the process of redemption found in Nehemiah 8:10.

In this passage, the priest Ezrah had been reading God’s word to the people. As they heard the word and had it explained to them, they were overcome with great sorrow. They had realized their sin. They were brokenhearted because of their shortcomings. Because of their great sorrow, Nehemiah spoke these words of encouragement to them: Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Ah! The joy of the Lord is your strength. What could it mean? How does it help me in my weakness? I’m so glad you asked!

This joy of the Lord is the reality of who your God is! He rules! Two very simple words that change the game. There is nothing in your path that is a detriment to you if you are in Him. If He rules above all things, and you are in Him, then He has you in His hand! That is the Joy of the Lord! All is well because of who your Father is.

The people were sorrowful over the sin, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Nehemiah wanted them to understand that it is the goodness of God that is teaching and leading them out of those shortcomings. In other words, don’t focus on sin; focus on your redeemer to fulfill your redemption! God loves you and is therefore helping you to overcome.

I wrote an article sometime back titled “Don’t Beat Yourself Up.” I am constantly hearing that word in this season of life. This is the meat of what Nehemiah was trying to get the people to understand. Paul said it this way: “I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

I want to encourage you today to lean into the voice and heart of the Father. Taste and see that God is good. The very point of realizing that we have come up short means that the Ministry of the Holy Spirit is alive and well within us. Or just like in a Head & Shoulders Shampoo commercial says, if it’s tingling, that means it’s working!

God loves you with an unrelenting and perfect love. You are important to Him. Trust the process. Trust the Father. Be sorrowful when you miss the mark and realize it, but don’t stay there! The point is to rejoice in the truth that God is at work in you, or else you would not ever realize your shortcomings.

God’s way is always the way of love. Don’t ever believe you are a failure. What God has said of you is true. Lean into Him, and He will lean into you. Abide in the shadow of the Almighty, for it is there you will truly find that the Joy of the Lord is your strength!

In the passionate pursuit of His Kingdom,

Pastor Jason

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