Source of Strength

The joy of the Lord is your strength.     –  Nehemiah 8:10 

After 70 years in exile, the people of Israel were coming home. It was all hands on deck as they began their rebuilding program, but they were becoming discouraged. In the midst of their activities, the Book of the Law had been discovered. Nehemiah called the people to assemble, and Ezra began a public reading of the Scriptures. One by one and then by the multitudes, the people grieved. Weeping with sorrow, they acknowledged their sins and repented, which led to a time of praise and worship. They had a celebration—it was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles—and the result was great joy among all of them. Their joy gave them the strength to continue the rebuilding they had begun, just as Nehemiah told them, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” 

Joy and worship are the natural result of your reading the Word of God. There is great power in God’s Word: power that helps you to face where you are in your life, power to draw you to repentance and worship, and power to create deep gladness and rejoicing within your soul. That power is yours to receive, as you read what God has provided through His Holy Spirit with the intent to understand, honor, and obey. Theologian J.I. Packer wrote, “My hope is for this passage to become a template for your everyday life. And… that template will be your daily story—praise, prayer, fellowship, sacrifice, hearing from God’s Word, and obedience.” 

Even on days when you are inclined to weep over the nation’s sin-soaked culture and the futility of the world’s systems, time spent in the Word will remind you of the victory you have in Jesus. This will fill you with God’s strength to continue living the life that glorifies Him. Pray for believers who serve in government to spend more time in God’s Word and claim the joy of the Lord as their strength daily.