the joy of the lord is your strength

The joy of the Lord is your strength
Nehemiah 8:10 | NIV

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I love Twitter. (I know!) It has become a great source of news, connection, and entertainment to me.

But much as I love it there are some very dark things on Twitter. Angry and abusive statements. Arguments played out in 120 furious, dishonouring characters. It can be painful to read some of the threads and easy to get disheartened about what is going on in the hearts of some people. There are so many destructive comments, there is so much tearing down...

I also love the bible. (Good job, huh?) And one of the things I love about the bible is the way God outlines His eternal principles. He says so much constructive stuff, there is so much building up.

It strikes me that the eternal principles in the story of Nehemiah are that we're called to stand in integrity and faith, and build not destroy. And Nehemiah's experience tells us that sometimes the process of building for the Kingdom will be at great personal cost and we'll face extraordinary opposition.

So to be able to build well we have to have strength. And that means we have to experience the Lord’s joy. Because joy is the key component of strength. 

How? By co-operating with the Holy Spirit.

Joy is an outcome of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us.
We are not left to search for joy; it is brought to our doors by the love of God our Father. 
 
We read that Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites comforted the people. That means they co-operated with the work of the Holy Spirit – The Comforter. 

And we have to do the same.  We have to co-operate with the work of the Holy Spirit so that we receive the joy The Lord has for us. 
 
We know that deep cries out to deep (Psalm 42:7) and that the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children (Romans 8:16). The Holy Spirit seals to us that God is our God and we are His people; we are our beloved’s, and He is ours (Song of Songs 6:3).

It is the Holy Spirit who tells us that we are loved with an everlasting love and have been drawn with cords of compassion, with bands of love. The Holy Spirit assures that our future is guaranteed by divine goodness (Romans 8:) because we know whom we have believed, and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day.

The same Spirit helps us love Jesus which results in our being filled with joy.  1 Peter 1:8 tells us “though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy”. 

It is the Holy Spirit that restores to us the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12), heals those who are bruised and wounded, and restores us altogether (Isaiah 41: 43:20). So even if it is tough for us right now, we know that gladness and joy will overtake us, and sorrow and sighing will flee away (Isaiah 35:10).
 
Joy is an outcome of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and seal the truth to us in every circumstance.

Whatever we face today, whatever we see happening in the world around us, the best thing we can do is to follow Nehemiah's example and co-operate with the Holy Spirit. We need strength to build something lasting for the Kingdom. And we only get that strength if we get our joy from co-operating with the Holy Spirit.

Why not co-operate with the Holy Spirit and declare some of these scriptures over yourself today?

The Lord my God is with me, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He takes great delight in me; in his love he no longer rebukes me, but rejoices over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).  He has brought me out with rejoicing, his chosen one with shouts of joy (Psalm 105:43).
 
[He] is able to keep me from stumbling and to present me blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy (Jude 1:24). I pray I will know that light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart (Psalm 97:110).

The hope of the righteous brings joy (Pr 10:28) and I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; he will make my feet like hind's feet, and He will make me walk on high hills (Habbakuk 3:18-19).

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! (Psalm 126:5) and I shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace (Isaiah 55:12). Sing and be joyful, O daughter (son) of Zion, for He comes and will dwell in my midst, declares the Lord (Zech 2:10).  

I pray that [Jesus’] joy may be in me and that my joy may be complete (John 15:11).

May I be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.(Col 1:11:12)

Until next month.

L x