The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength
By Mother Freda R. Benjamin
Nehemiah 8:10 – “Then he said unto them, 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.”
All of us can relate to a variety of things that bring some type of joy: having a delicious meal, getting married or being single, having children and grandchildren, getting a promotion, finding unexpected money, winning the Super Bowl, having a bill paid, or having your school or job close for a snow day. The best example of having joy that comes to mind is having a family member, friend or co-worker confess their sins and accept Christ into their lives. Perhaps you can identify with one or two of these examples, but what does it mean to have the joy of the Lord?
The joy of the Lord is the gladness of heart that comes from knowing, abiding in and communing with Christ. One song writer wrote,
Communion, sweet Communion
To fellowship with You, is what we long to do.
Communion, Holy Communion,
Lord, we long to commune with You.
When Jesus was born, Luke 2:20 says the angles announced, “Good tiding of great joy” which was to be to all people. Even before His birth, Jesus brought joy. In Luke 1:46-47, Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” In Luke 1:44, Elisabeth said, “For, lo, as soon as the voice of the salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
In Luke 7:34, some of Jesus’ enemies accused Him of being too joyful. They did this by falsely accusing Him of being a glutton and a winebibber. In John 16:24, Jesus promised to give His disciples a full supply of joy. In Galatians 5:22, joy is named as one of the fruit of the Spirit. Philippians 4:4 says that we should rejoice always and then after doing that, it sys we should rejoice some more.
Because of its supernatural origin, the joy of the Lord is present even when we go through trials, because we know who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Paul and Silas knew very well about trials. They sat in the Philippian jail with their legal rights violated. They were arrested and beaten without a cause and without a trial, but around midnight, they began to sing praises unto the Lord and soon a miracle happened.
The apostles in Jerusalem were arrested, brought before the court, beaten and were ordered to not preach in the name of Jesus. And what did they do after they were released? They went home rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name and then went right back to teaching and preaching Jesus Christ daily in the temple and in every house.
You may ask, why? Why would someone in their right mind put themselves in jeopardy like that? It was because they had the joy of the Lord within. The joy of the Lord may be unexplainable to nonbelievers, but for the believers in Christ, it comes naturally.
Nehemiah 8:10 not only speaks to the joy of the Lord, but says it is our strength. I know that I could definitely use some extra strength in the Lord! Nehemiah told the Israelites that the oy of the Lord would be their strength. Ezra had brought the book of the Law of Moses before the people and it was read from morning until midday. Hearing and understanding the words of the law convicted the people and they began to mourn and weep. Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites told the people to stop weeping and mourning because the day was holy unto the Lord.
This was no time to be sorrowful. This was a time to rejoice! This was a time to take off the spirit of heaviness and put on the garments of praise. This was a joyful time, a day hoy unto the Lord. The joy of the Lord is your strength!
This word of encouragement is true for the believer today. We can proclaim, the joy of the Lord is our strength! And what will we do with this strength? We are called to use the strength of the Lord to resist and war against the enemy; strength to stand firm on the Word of God; strength to walk upright and be bold witnesses for the Lord; strength to speak the truth and show love to others; strength to stay saved and committed; strength to fast and pray; strength to come against fear and speak life into our situations; strength to praise God and say yes to the Lord!
The joy of the Lord is our strength!