Joy of the Lord is our Strength

The salutation, "the joy of the Lord is your strength" is very familiar in Christian circles. But where is it in the Bible, and what can we learn from the context? You can find the backstory in Nehemiah 8:1 – 12, and it is Nehemiah who utters the famous words. The story can be summarised as follows:

Israel had forgotten God and been led into exile. Now they had been allowed to return to Jerusalem, and Nehemiah gets the Levites to read aloud God's word to the returning captives. When they hear the word of God, and an explanation of the personal implications, they are convicted of their unrighteousness before God, and are in tears. But surprisingly, Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites told them to stop weeping, and instead have a party: "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."

What can we learn from this story?

• When we have been impacted with the Word of God, we are able to rejoice in the work that the Holy Spirit accomplishes in our lives, and as a consequence, drawn closer in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

• The joy of the Lord springs from true repentance. God's heart of forgiveness and His covenant of love towards us, marks the day out as being holy, or set apart – hence the feasting! Remember the story of the Lost Son (Lk. 15:11 – 32)

• There is never any condemnation from God when we truly receive His Word into our lives; only acceptance.

The outworking of all the above, is that we can come confidently into God's presence in our prayers, knowing we will not be rejected, but received:  

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

The joy of acceptance, and the provision of His mercy and grace, gives us strength for all that we might be facing. This is why the joy of the Lord can be our strength - today!