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.”
Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could receive a shot of joy? Before I left his office, the doctor gave me two injections for pain, and it might as well have been a shot of joy.
The injections worked quickly, spreading much welcome relief through my body. As soon as I returned home, I wanted to go for a walk with my guide dog, a beautiful black Labrador retriever named Iva. I put the harness on her with much excitement. Iva and I hadn’t walked for several days because of my intense pain.
As we walked on that beautiful fall afternoon, I noticed that Iva sensed my joy. I was thrilled to walk without pain when, just that morning, I couldn’t do it. Iva had missed our walks as much as I had. When we returned to the house, I felt drowsy from the injections, but I wasn’t ready to end our walk. We continued our walk on the street in front of our house until I had to go inside and sleep it off.
When I woke up, I remembered the pain had disappeared, but when I moved, a sharp pain quickly reminded me it had returned. That was the last day I walked Iva for three months.
The Holy Spirit infuses us with joy because joy strengthens us. Today’s verse comes from the book of Nehemiah, where we find weeping and sorrow. The Hebrews gathered to hear the reading of God’s Word, and it sliced their hearts. Their eyes were opened to their sin and rebellion, and they were overwhelmed with grief.
They repented, and God didn’t want them to continue mourning for their actions. Instead, He wanted them to celebrate that day, give gifts, and choose joy. They needed strength to rebuild Jerusalem, and the joy of the Lord gives us strength.
They found joy in the Word of God when they understood it. They found joy in repentance.
The devil wants to steal our joy. He can’t steal our salvation, but he can make us miserable Christians, and that’s not a good testimony to the world.
We find joy in God’s Word and while we pray, but God also gives us simple things to remind us of His joy. It may be a gentle breeze while you sit outside, a comfy recliner to rest in, an afternoon nap, family and friends, or a walk with your dog. Psalm 30:5 (NKJV) says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
Did you know it is normal to mourn the loss of our health? I didn’t lose most of my vision until age fifty, and then it declined rapidly. Counselors told me it was normal to grieve that loss. It was normal to grieve my inability to walk. It’s normal for you to grieve the lack you are experiencing today.
Like grief over a loved one who passes, we weep for a season, but then joy returns. Don’t get caught up in the grief. Choose joy!
Strength flows from the springs of joy. The joy of the Lord gives us strength. That’s why the enemy strives to destroy it.
What gives you joy? I had to start walking with a cane shortly after that day, but I longed to walk with Iva again. It became my goal in healing. It gave me the strength to keep going.
Do you have a goal you are working toward? How do you find strength from joy?
I am closing with Isaiah 35:10. Can we be like these Israelites and rejoice always? Sorrows will flee. My friend, I have lost joy at times, and it’s easier to never let it slip out of our hands. Rekindle the fire of joy in your life today.
And those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Isaiah 35:10 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, help me choose joy in the little things, even though I am sick and in pain. Help me work toward attainable goals and infuse me with joy, which is my strength. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
This devotion appears as day 3 in my devotional, Embers of Endurance: Rising Above Chronic Pain and Illness.