“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” We find this scripture in Nehemiah 8:11. Some of the children of Israel had returned to Jerusalem from exile from other countries. After rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, the priests brought out the Book of the Law of Moses and began reading it and interpreting it to the people. The people’s response was weeping. This scripture comes about when the priests tell the people that this is a holy day. “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The people were reconnecting with their God and initially felt sorrow. The priests corrected them and said they should be celebrating and full of joy.
I think I have always read this scripture and interpreted it as if I have the joy of the Lord, I will experience strength. I do think that that is true. I do think that the more we have of God and the Holy Spirit the more strength we will experience. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so the more we are filled with the Holy Spirit the more joy we will have. However, I think there may be another truth in this scripture. I think “the joy of the Lord” also speaks to our identity. What is our identity in the Lord? The Bible says that we are God’s children created in His image. In Zephaniah 3:17 it states, “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Picture this: the God of the universe is so joyful over us that He is singing and dancing with joy over us! This is our true identity. We are connected to a God that created us and now experiences intense joy when he thinks about us!
What if “the joy of the Lord is our strength” is really saying we can find strength in knowing God experiences joy in us? I think when we find strength in the joy of the Lord what we are really saying is that we find strength in the understanding that we belong to God. When we understand who we are and whose we are, we can also find strength in understanding that God views us through the lens of absolute joy. When we choose joy or to rejoice in all circumstances we are again tapping into the identity of who we really are as children of God. In John 15, Jesus is addressing the importance of abiding in God. Jesus is illustrating that He is the vine and we are the branches. In verse 10 Jesus says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” If we stay connected to God and abide in His love, then we can grow in our understanding of our identity and how God really feels about us. Only when we get disconnected from God by wrong choices, sin patterns, doubt etc do we put up a barrier between ourselves and God. When we are no longer abiding in God’s love, we lose our identity and strength in God. However, when that happens, we can always repent and be restored to right relationship with God.
Hebrews 12: 2 says, “looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus knew His identity and that He also belonged to the Father. He also knew what was at stake at the cross. The cross was the only way to restore us to right relationship with God. Because of this, He had the ability to endure the cross and get to the joy of right relationship with us on the other side of the cross. He gave absolutely everything so that we could be with God now here on earth as well as in eternal life in heaven.
I encourage you to allow God to show you the joy he experiences when He thinks about you. Again, the God of the universe dances and sings over you! If there are things in your life that you know keep you from abiding in Him allow Him to deal with those things. He wants you to experience fullness of joy. Remember, God is always for you and never against you. He gave everything he had to have relationship with you and you bring Him great joy!!