Focus: The Joy Of The Lord

Text: Neh.8:10

"The joy of the Lord is your strength."

There are two angles to look at this phrase: "the joy of the Lord." 

One angle is that it is the joy of which God is the only source and sole supplier. God is the producer and provider of joy. Anything that like it is fake. Nothing is like it and nothing comes close to it. God is the possessor and giver of joy, and the joy He gives us is itself the secret of our strength. It is an energy-supplying joy. When this joy bubbles in us, divine energy is generated by it and exuded from it. You can face all of life's challenges and situations when that joy explodes in your spirit. It is the joy of the Spirit of God.

The other angle of this joy is God Himself having joy because of us. It is the joy we bring to God's heart when we delight in Him and do His biddings. When we do what God wants, and as a result making Him proud and bringing Him joy, then He in turn will reenergize and revitalize your inner being - making it possible for you to beat the odds, rise above the pressures of life, and achieve the incredible.

It is advantageous for you when you bring joy to God's heart through your faith and obedience, for by so doing He empowers your spirit and emboldens your heart.

Zephaniah declares, "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing" (Zeph.3:17). Just imagine your God rejoicing over you with joy because you are right where He wants you and passionate about what He is passionate about!

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, God declares, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Then about the time His ministry was coming to a close, at the Mount of Transfiguration, God again declares, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased…" So from start to finish the Father was pleased with His Son and pleasured by Him. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself says with all boldness, "I do always those things that please him" (Jh.8:29). The Father was extremely delighted with His Son. He brought Him joy in all He said and did throughout His entire life on earth. By His life and death Christ glorified His Father. He caused the Father no heartbreak and He brought Him no shame or sorrow.

One thing about this joy of the Lord is that, like wine, it can be very intoxicating. Isaiah says, "There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone" (Isa.24:11). You can see that joy is associated with wine. Joy is both sweetening and strengthening. The writer of Ecclesiastes says, "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart…" (Ecl.9:7). The psalmist says, "And wine that maketh glad the heart of man…" (Ps.104:15). As a matter of fact, there are several words for joy in the Hebrew, one of which means, like here in our text, 'to leap for joy and spin around in exultation.' Imagine that you are walking the streets and spinning about in public! People would think you are crazy. Jeremiah declares, "Thou skippedst for joy" (Jer.48:27). This is skipping joy. Joy unspeakable! Overflowing joy! Incredible joy! Unexplainable joy! Everlasting joy! Isaiah declares that with this kind of joy, we will have the surging strength to "draw water out of the wells of salvation" (Isa.12:3). 

God fills our hearts with pure joy and silent strength.

We can see that joy and strength are divinely connected. From the joy of the Lord supernatural strength flows into our lives. Another connection is joy and the word of God. Jeremiah says, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts" (Jer.15:16). The word of God well eaten and digested makes the joy of the Lord to flow and overflow.

God's power is lodged in God's joy. God's joy is lodged in God's word. God's joy is also located in God's Spirit. The kingdom of God is joy in the Holy Spirit. God brings you joy, and that joy becomes the secret of your strength. You can as well give God joy through your obedience and loyalty. Make space in your life for God's joy and strength! Skip with joy! Spin around for joy! Glow with joy! Leap for joy! Dance for joy! Sing for joy! Pray with the joy of the Lord in your heart! Make a joyful noise to the glory of God! With the joy of the Lord in your heart, you can speedily execute the will of God and advance His purpose. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter