The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Have you ever been overcome with emotion, so much that you couldn’t function?  As much as you tried, you couldn’t find the strength to rise up, throw some water on your face and snap out of it.

We see in Nehemiah 8:9-10 the Israelites were overcome with emotion and couldn’t bring themselves to celebrate the Holy Day, referred to today as Rosh Hashanah: “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.  Then he said to them, “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.”

The Israelites had recently returned home from 70 years of captivity and as they listened to Ezra read from the Book of the Law of Moses, they wept and were overcome with emotion.  Perhaps this was due to the realization of how far they drifted away from God during their captivity and they thought they would never see the day again when they would hear the Book of the Law read to them.

The Spirit of God was moving on their hearts and as they came home to a land, their hearts were coming home to their God.  There was sorrow and brokenness over where they have been, but joy was waiting to get them to where they needed to be.  As the Israelites responded to Nehemiah’s words, we read in verse 12;  they went their way and rejoiced greatly because “they understood the words that were declared to them.”

The Israelite’s had an “aha” moment and shifted gears from sorrow to joy.  It wasn’t based on feelings, but based on a decision to step out of themselves and tap into God. The pure joy came from within their hearts as they put their focus on their God and understood His Words, and this joy was the very strength they needed to get out of that place of sorrow.

How about you today?  Have you had your “aha” moment?