The Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength…

Today our journey of joy and strength officially begins…

In Nehemiah 8:10, we see Nehemiah, the governor of ancient Israel, encouraging his very disheartened people with these words…

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Friends, how often do we claim these words as our own: “The joy of the Lord is OUR strength”?

Before COVID, when life seemed more stable and far more certain, I could easily relate to the joy part of that verse. My work hummed along at a successful and predictable pace. I regularly gathered around the tables of friends and family and never thought twice about anyone’s safety. My husband and I enjoyed two vacations each year, and I could leave the house without having to check my car for a mask. Joy was so very real to me…

Today life is quite different. All of the above happy and carefree conditions are gone. I have been unemployed since COVID. I gather around the tables of no one. There are no vacations, and I have more masks in my car than I care to admit.

If I gaze long enough at my current reality, I can easily slip into a place of deep darkness, depression and anxiety. In fact, I fully confess to days of experiencing great fear and a complete lack of purpose, but that is when I run hard and fast to God. That is when I seek refuge in Scriptures such as Nehemiah 8:10, and my joy and strength gradually return.

Friends, our joy has nothing to do with our fluctuating circumstances. We can actually be grateful to be alive during a pandemic! We can bask in the really good days and persevere through the really bad ones. We can do all these things with strength and hope for a better tomorrow because our joy is found in a God Who is steadfastly faithful, loving and trustworthy. He never changes, even as our world spins seemingly out of control. And this indeed makes the joy of the Lord our strength today and always…