Nehemiah 8:10 is used often to project the joyful experience of the Christian walk. I will tell you that I have used the last part of this verse often in worship to motivate people to be joyful in their worship expression. However, this verse has had new meaning to me this past 15 months. After nearly 26 years of ministry at our last church there was a season of great grief. We left people we loved and poured into so you can understand why it hurt to leave. When you read the passage in Nehemiah the verse says … “do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” We often miss the context that God’s joy in us overcomes our grief.
Since that time we have been overwhelmed with opportunities and have seen God take us to places that we never dreamed of. We have met new ministry partners that we had never been involved with before. God has provided resources from people and places that were unexpected.
You see, the joy of serving Christ never stopped. The joy of being a part of building His Kingdom never changed. It took time to get used to the new idea of being itinerate again but seeing His hand on our lives brings us great joy. Instead of staying stuck in our grief or trying to figure out things with human reasoning we decided to look forward to the things God has for our future and let … “the joy of the Lord be our strength.
How about you? Are you stuck in your grief? Let the joy of the Lord be your strength today.