THE JOY OF THE LORD

One of the most frequently quoted and often misunderstood promises in the Bible is, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b).

The misunderstanding largely rests around two words: joy and strength. It’s not unusual to hear exhortations about the joy of the Lord bringing strength, as if to imply that muscular Christianity is a product of a happy Christian experience. That simply is not what Nehemiah was saying and it somewhat sidetracks a powerful truth.

First, let’s examine the context of what brought about this wonderful statement from Nehemiah. Persia had conquered Israel and destroyed Jerusalem. Nehemiah, a Jew, had risen to a very important position in the court of the Persian king and God had burdened his heart with the dire straits of the Jews in and around what was left of Jerusalem. Against great odds Nehemiah made an exploratory trip to Jerusalem and then, with the blessing of the Persian king, he returned to organize and lead the rebuilding of the city.

Nehemiah has to be counted among the great leaders of all time. Not only did he organize a ragtag bunch of Jews into a formidable construction crew but he also taught them to build and fight at the same time. Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild were continually hampered by enemy tribes from the area that attempted to intimidate and threaten the Jews. Nehemiah successfully navigated the enemies’ attempts to stop the rebuilding by keeping the builders building, and the walls of the city were rebuilt in an unbelievable fifty-two days (6:15).

Following the completion of the walls, an assembly was called and Ezra the priest brought a copy of the Book of the Law of Moses. Ezra stood and began to read it to the people, many of whom were hearing the Law read for the first time. Worship began to break out among the people along with times of weeping and sorrow as the people were confronted by their sin. It was a time of renewal and revival among the children of Israel. Nehemiah spoke to the great assembly and encouraged the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.”

The people were exhausted from the intensity of the construction effort and the relentless pressure from their enemies, and now they were being confronted by their own failures and sin as the Law of Moses was read to them.

In this highly emotion-charged moment, Nehemiah stepped forward and said, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV).

I believe we have allowed the meaning of joy to be confused with happiness. Happiness is dictated by circumstances in our life. If things are going well then we are happy. If circumstances are creating pressure and pain, then we are not happy. Joy is a gift from God; it is one of the fruits of the Spirit that is not dictated to by the circumstances of life.

During these last several months I have gone through one of the most challenging valleys of my life. There have been moments of great weariness, emotion and questioning, but I can honestly say that the joy and peace of the Lord have never departed from me. This is a gift given to all His children and if we are not living in it, it is not His fault!

I believe this is the heart of what Nehemiah was saying to the people of Jerusalem. “Rejoice, worship, praise Him. Enjoy His blessings, share the goodness of God with others. Rejoice in Him, for He is our place of safety, He is our refuge.” The word strength means “place of safety, harbor, protection, refuge.”

The apostle Paul’s great book to the Philippian church contains at least twelve references to joy. Paul wrote that letter while he was imprisoned in horrible, vile circumstances. How could he write about joy while he was in a filthy, cold, dark, rat-infested hole in the ground the Romans called a prison? Because joy is not dependent on circumstances!

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

When we choose to rejoice in the Lord, we are lifting our attention off the circumstances of our life and placing it onto Him. As we rejoice and focus on Him, His peace envelopes our heart and it becomes a place of calm no matter what is going on around us, no matter what reports of evil are being delivered to us. Paul shows us that when we’re at peace, we have strength and, conversely, when we’re anxious and fearful, our strength is dissipated.

Fanny Crosby lost her sight when she was only six weeks old. She lived into her nineties, composing thousands of beloved hymns. One of my favorites is her hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” On her 92nd birthday she cheerfully said, "If in all the world you can find a happier person than I am, do bring him to me. I should like to shake his hand."

What enabled Fanny Crosby to experience such joy in the face of what many would term a "tragedy"? At an early age she chose to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4).