Ask Him to fill us with His joy


Neh 8:10 “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Through these chapters we were reading that the Isrealites from exiles were returning to the holy city of Jerusalem and rebuilding the walls surrounding the city.
Nehemiah’s rebuilding project involved everyone. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, teen-agers – everyone.
Everybody was going through a tough time.
They all had a rough past with a lot of discouragement, a lot of disappointment.

Here Nehemiah,the leader of the people, steps in to comfort and command them, “Do not be grieved”… why? — “because the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

From a biblical perspective, we see “joy” and “happiness” as two different things.
Joy is a gift from God received when we choose to abide in Him.

Joy is based on our relationship with God.
It is not dependent on our circumstances.

But.
……. Happiness is entirely dependent on what is going on around us

When things are going well, we are happy, but the minute they take a turn for the worse our happiness goes away.

The Bible also says not to worry about anything. Anything?
Many of us spend a good portion of every waking hour worried or anxious about something.

Many of us are stressed in a relationship, a job change, physical illness, or even deep grief or loss.

Joy. Everyone wants it. Everyone promises it. But can anyone deliver it?

The enemy of our heart, Satan, does not want us to leave the place of despair, but the lover of our wounded heart, Jesus Christ, has a better plan for us, and it includes joy.

God wants his children to be joy-filled. Just like a father wants his baby to laugh with glee, God longs for us to experience a deep-seated, deeply rooted joy.

So… dear friends….
Let’s ask ourselves….

Can death take our joy? No, because Jesus is greater than death.
Can failure take our joy? No, because Jesus is greater than our sin.
Can betrayal take our joy? No, because Jesus will never leave us.
Can sickness take our joy? No, because God has promised– whether on this side of the grave or the other–to heal us.

Can disappointment take our joy?
No, because though our plan may not work out, but.. we know God’s plan will.
One heartfelt THANK YOU , LORD will suck away all the failure, betrayal, sickness, disappointment out of us.

Let’s….
Ask Him to fill us with His joy that cannot be taken away by anyone.

Jooley Mathew Z
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