Nehemiah 8:10

“Then he [Ezra] said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to the Lord.  Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10 (NAS)

I’ve spent all week thinking about this verse.  I’ve tried to relate it to the reading of God’s word to the Israelites, to the Feast of Booths and how the people were to praise the Lord for the work that He had done for their ancestors—bringing them out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the desert and feeding them with manna for 40 years.  All these things are important to God, to them, to me, but what I think the Lord is trying to teach me is much more simple and yet very complex.

As children, we learn the chorus, “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.”  It is fun to sing and easy to remember, but I never thought out it’s significance.  The people in Nehemiah had rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem.  They had gathered together and asked Ezra to read “the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel (8:1,2).”  The people were so moved by what they heard, that they began to weep.  That says to me that the Lord had flooded their hearts and souls with so many emotions—joy, brokenness, awe, grace, compassion, mercy, wonder, excitement, guilt, anger, love—that their reaction was to humble themselves before the Living God and all they could do was cry.  (I’ve been there before.)  Ezra says in essence, “Folks, look, God is doing a work here in our lives.  This is a good thing, a holy day.  No more weeping.  Rest in God’s joy, feel His strength, know He is real.  We will make this a time to celebrate.”

When God moves in my life, I need to rest in His joy and let it flow out of me and onto others for this is a witness of God.  A reality that God exists and works in the life of people like me.  The more the joy flows, the more I feel His strength and need to express this to others.  I stand in awe of His recent work in my life that has now allowed me to express joy to others and has given me contentment where a restless spirit resided!   It has even propelled me to start blogging!  It is my prayer that I would be a reflection of the Lord’s joy and strength, so that others can know and experience the Living God.  

I Chronicles 16:26,27

26 "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
27  Splendor and majesty are before Him.  Strength and joy are in his place" (NAS)

These verses are found in a "Song of Thanksgiving" lead by Asaph and his brothers before the people.  David had worked to bring the ark of the covenant of God to Jerusalem, so that the nation could make seeking God a priority once again, for this had not been done by Saul, David's predecessor.  David hoped to build a permanent temple for God to reside, but that honor fell to Solomon, his son. The celebration must have been a sight to see and experience--the parade, the sacrifices, the ceremony, the music, and then this song, thanking and giving God glory for his past wonders and praising Him for who He is.

In the middle of the song, '"...strength and joy are in his place."'  The words strength and joy are a sharp contrast.  Strength reminds me of power, authority and having one's way (like standing in the ocean as the breakers hit your legs--the strength is evident).  Joy does not come from a place, but rather radiates from God.  It is that special delight that resonates deep within one's soul that cannot be taken away--it is excitement, peace, expectancy, freedom, delight, wonder all rolled into one.  To put "skin" on joy, one might say it is like feeling the first kick of your baby before you have even met or the feeling one has when holding that newborn for the first time.

The Lord God is so big that these attributes (along with many other) permeate from His presence at the same time.  AMAZING!  I need to praise You more often Lord!

Deep Freeze!

As with most of the nation, we are in the deep freeze here.  Coming home I was reminded by our local water company to be sure to leave facets dripping tonight as the temperatures were expected to be at least -15 degrees.  Preparing for bed, I had taken care of the kitchen sink.  I turned on the master bathroom facet and guess what?  No cold water, but we had hot water!  As we were checking to see if there was a break in the pipes, the cold water started running (out of the facet, that is)!  I was so excited that God allowed us to find this potential problem; I also realized that this is an example of joy completing the circle.  I got to see God's blessing (finding the facet before it was totally frozen); then I got to thank Him (that we did not have a big bill for a broken pipe) and then Joy comes (as I give God the glory and share His victory with others).

Dueteronomy 16:15

"For seven days celebrate the Feasts to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will chose.  For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands and your joy will be complete." (NIV)

This is talking about the Feast of Tabernacles.  The Lord had the Israelites come before Him for various celebrations.  This Feast has to do with the provisions God had given to them and to remind them of their journey from Egypt.   I am mindful of Thanksgiving in my culture--only we, as a nation, concentrate on God's blessings for one day and those blessings can be lost in the preparations of the day unless I am careful.   I must confess that I have fallen into this trap where I am not truly thankful for what God has given to me.  I pray for His forgiveness.  The Hebrews celebrate for seven days--seven days of preparations could do me in, unless I take steps to simplify the preparations.

A thankful heart is but one step.  Focusing on the Lord, His blessings, praising Him and being an expression of thanksgiving to others results in joy in my life.  Joy completes the circle.  I work--God blesses--I thank--God is glorified through me and to others.