Joy and Strength
The other day I was confiding in someone very dear to me. I was explaining my heart's desire to do all I do as unto the Lord and how I desire to do all I do better. I admitted that sometimes I look at what others are doing (living, working, serving etc.) and think I could do MORE, I should do BETTER! Its hard to express in writing everything I said or depict my heart. After listening to me, this person, gently called me out on something I've struggled with on and off in my life:
"Your focus slips from the Lord to perfectionism; from responding to the Lord out of sincerity and purity of heart to toiling in your own strength. Your focus on God becomes clouded by comparison thoughts; thoughts of not measuring up or lacking in quality. This will sap you of joy."
I was convicted!
I admit, there are times I am sapped of joy... WHY? I love the life the Lord has blessed me with! I truly am humbled and feel honored to have the responsibility He has given me!
This scripture came to mind...
"...And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)
Grieved: to toil with pain, to suffer
Joy: gladness
Strength: a strong, fortified place, a defense
Some history leading up to this verse:
The Israelites' nations were destroyed, First the northern Jewish kingdom of Israel and then the southern Jewish kingdom of Judah. The city of Jerusalem was completely conquered by the Babylonians and the once-glorious temple of Solomon was destroyed.
When the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, they deported almost everyone from the city and the region - for some 70 years, Jerusalem was a ghost town.
But after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, they were given the opportunity to return to their homeland, the Promised Land. (Guzik)
Nehemiah was permitted by the King to rebuild the city along with many Israelite men. After the city was rebuilt the people gathered to hear the Law of Moses read by Ezra, an Israelite priest. The people wept as they heard the Law. (now part of the Old Testament)
Here's where we pick up...
One of the reasons the people wept, most likely, was because they were convicted of their sin. Conviction is good. It's God's Holy Spirit pointing us to Truth; gently and lovingly reminding us what is for His glory and our good.
The above scripture is Nehemiah's response to their weeping:
"Do not toil with pain, do not suffer, for the JOY of the LORD is your strong, fortified defense!"
Nehemiah encourages the people in their conviction.
It is the JOY of the LORD that is our DEFENSE against sin.
It is the JOY of the LORD that is our strength to do what He commands and our strength to walk the path He has set us on.
Our thoughts, our actions, and our purpose should all spring from the JOY OF LORD.
What is the joy of the Lord?
~It's joy and gladness that we have been saved, RESCUED, by a perfectly holy God, even though we did not deserve to be.
~It's joy and gladness that can only be found in resting our faith in Jesus:
faith that God demonstrated His love for us by giving us Jesus Christ who justified us and paid the debt we NEVER could pay
faith that we have been forgiven of our sin, set free from slavery to sin, and given new life and strength through the Holy Spirit.
Our right standing with God, our righteousness and holiness were something we could never earn. It has been given to us through faith in Jesus Christ!
~It's the fruit of the Holy Spirit's work in our hearts.
This is JOY
The Israelite people might have been weeping because they knew they had failed obeying the law, maybe it was because some of them had never heard and understood the law before, or they were ashamed and wondered how they would be able to obey the law from that point forward. It could have been a combination of all these reasons. Regardless, Nehemiah offers them the solution: the Joy of the Lord.
Nehemiah is saying to the Israelites, we can be joyful because our God forgives, opens our hearts and minds to understand His Truth, and has made a way for us to rebuild our city!
Our joy of the Lord, IN the Lord, will be our strength to obey Him and it will be our strength to rebuild what has been lost for 70 years!
The starting point and forever focal point is the Lord, all of who He is and all of what He has done. This is our JOY and this is our STRENGTH!
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.Therefore with joy you will draw from the fountain of salvation!" (Isaiah 12:2)
Song: the object of my praise
Salvation: deliverance, victory
Fountain: spring
God is my deliverance and victory, He is the object of my praise, THEREFORE with JOY I will draw from the spring of salvation.
Joy comes from WHO the LORD is! He is like a spring that never runs dry; a spring that we JOYFULLY draw victorious, life-giving, forever thirst-quenching LIVING WATER from.
(see John 4:14)
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked...but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3)
Look at the progression in this verse. The person whose DELIGHT is in the law of the Lord, who meditates on Truth day and night, will prosper. The psalmist's analogy can be explained this way: we are the tree and streams of water is the law of the Lord, Truth, God Himself. As we delight or JOY in Truth, in the LORD, we will have a continual supply of strength and sustenance to obey. We will not wither (lose strength or faint) because are strength is not in ourselves, but in delighting in Him.
The Lord is so good! He convicts me and points me to Truth!
You see, as the Lord spoke to my heart after my conversation above, He began reminding me that Joy doesn't come from toiling in my own strength. Joy doesn't come from the perfect day or the perfect resume of accomplishments. When my focal point is my perfectionism its about me. Yes, we are blessed when we obey the Lord, but our obedience springs out of our JOY IN THE LORD, OUR DELIGHT IN HIM. When the Lord is my focal point, the JOY of knowing Him & His character gives me the strength I need to do all I do unto the Lord.
In Him my Joy is full!!
Blessings,
Amy
