JOY
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11 (NIV)
Nehemiah 8 takes place just after the people of Israel had finished rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem—a monumental task completed despite tremendous opposition. Yet when they gathered to hear God's Word read aloud, they began to mourn. As they listened and understood what God's Word said, they were convicted by their past sins and the ways they had fallen short.
But Nehemiah didn't tell them to remain in their sorrow. He told them to rejoice—to eat, drink, celebrate and share with those who had nothing prepared. Why? Because the joy of the LORD is your strength.
There is a lesson here. God's Word brings conviction, but it doesn't leave us there. It can bring us to our knees in repentance, then lift our eyes toward His presence. His Word gives us strength to move through mourning, to pursue Him, to worship and to live joyfully according to His Word.
I remember a very low time in my life when I was so low that I couldn't believe I'd ever know joy again. Without it, I felt so weak. I didn't feel worthy of joy—or even forgiveness. Yet God was not finished with me. He answered my cry for forgiveness, and little by little, He is returning the joy I thought I had lost. I think of Nehemiah's words often: The joy of the LORD is your strength.
APPLICATION: God's Word may bring conviction, but it also points us toward His presence, where there is fullness of joy. When we have confessed our sin and received His forgiveness, we don't have to remain in our sorrow or let our past define us. We can turn toward Him and receive the strength and joy He freely gives.
PRAYER: Father, as I enter this new year, help me spend more time in Your Word. Let it convict, guide and strengthen me, and fill me with the joy of Your presence. Help me remember that Your joy is a gift, not something I must earn. Let the joy You restore in me overflow to others, especially those who have nothing prepared. Amen.
"… Our Father in heaven…" Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
• What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
"… may your name be kept holy." Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
• What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
"May your Kingdom come soon." Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
• Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
"Give us today the food we need," Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
• Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I'm around today?
"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us" Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
• Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
"And don’t let us yield to temptation…" Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
• Is there anywhere I'm vulnerable to temptation?