Nehemiah 8:10 says, “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.”
Though the first part of this verse has one of the best commands in the Bible – “eat the fat, drink the sweet” – we as Christians tend to favor the last part of this verse (and rightly so!): The joy of the Lord is your strength. I’ve spent years thinking that this meant MY joy in the Lord was the thing that gave me strength, and while that is true – there IS strength that comes from finding joy in our wonderful Father – this verse, in context, is actually saying something a little different. It’s saying that God’s joy (the joy OF the Lord) is our strength.
In Nehemiah 8, the children of Israel had returned to Jerusalem from exile, and as they were listening to the Law being read, they were weeping in condemnation because they recognized their sin before God. But Nehemiah was telling them to stop their weeping; today is a good day! You were once in bondage, and now you are free. You’ve returned to your Father, like the prodigal son. God is rejoicing at restored relationship – He isn’t focused on your past sins. And THAT is your strength.
Brothers and sisters, God is not mad at you. As Andrew likes to say, “He’s not even in a bad mood.” He rejoices over you! He delights in relationship with you. You are the apple of His eye, and you bring Him nothing but JOY. The knowledge of this one truth should provide us with strength to last a lifetime. Because if God be for us (and not begrudgingly for us, but JOYFULLY for us!), then who in the world could possibly be against us.
God didn’t send Jesus into this world so He could eventually find joy in you and me. No, He sent Jesus into this world because from the minute you were conceived in your mother’s womb He was already madly in love with you!
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones from all of us at AWM Charis Asia.
