“This day is holy to our Lord.  Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10b NIV)

The book of Nehemiah is found in the Old Testament.  The people of Jerusalem listened to the reading of God’s law and started crying because they realized they had disobeyed God. Nehemiah and Ezra told the people to stop mourning because it was a sacred, good day.  

How many times have we strayed from God and what God has called us to do and to be.  Whether it is: over-drinking, drugging, gambling, sexual impurity, gossiping, laziness, pride, anger, rudeness, hate, greed, envy, lust, not honoring our parents, holding grudges, or overindulgence.  We stray from God and God’s teaching.  

This is what the people in the day of Nehemiah had done. They had lost sight of God.  After reading from the book of the law and realizing what they had done.  Nehemiah told them to turn to the Lord and follow God’s ways.  Then what happens next is the leaders told everyone to eat good food, drink sweet drinks, and share food with those who had nothing prepared.

Think about the words of this scripture, after understanding what was happening during that period of time.  The phrase “the joy of the Lord is your strength” means that finding gladness and security in God gives people the inner power to keep going, rather than staying stuck in guilt, shame, or the feelings of failure.  

It is a shift in your mindset and focus.  It is in letting God’s transform our straying from what is right and true, our sin, our guilt and shame into peace and strength. For accepting God’s strength means accepting grace and forgiveness and this then becomes our joy.  For the joy of the Lord is our strength. God Bless.  Amen.

denise