Joy = Strength

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” This piece of scripture from Nehemiah 8:10 seemed to jump out at me today in my devotional. The joy of the Lord. How could joy be strength? I couldn’t help but laugh thinking about how when my kids get mad over ridiculous things, my mom will tell them to smile. Not to sound like a cruel parent, but it’s quite amusing to watch them dig their heels in to try to not smile. In truth, it’s actually very difficult to smile when you’re mad. However, when you finally give in it’s incredibly difficult to be mad when you’re smiling.

How does this tie back into that scripture? Their joy overcomes their anger and it becomes their strength. It feels fitting to me because exactly 3 years ago today I loaded all 3 of my children up in the car along with our Great Dane to drive the 6 hours from Lafayette to Rockwall for my youngest daughters’ surgery. The two months prior had been filled with worry, anger, frustration and confusion. Although God had already promised me that He was my Comfort, my Peace, my Hope and my Joy, I still wasn’t able to see those over the emotions of fear I was feeling.

My mom and I spoke about this just this past Sunday. God is never anything other than good. That’s exactly what He said when He revealed Himself to Moses. In Exodus 33:19 saying that, “I will cause My goodness to pass in front of you.” He is so good! This is exactly what God had asked me during that difficult time. Am I good? And when I was able to answer that with yes, He told me to praise Him. To find the joy in worshipping His goodness. Only then was my fear overtaken by His joy. And His joy did in fact become my strength.

I no longer saw anything other than my God and His goodness! I was able to rise in the strength of knowing that my child was in the hands of her wonderfully good Father. I found joy again in Him. And as more information came in after her surgery, I was able to praise Him more and more. My heart could have burst with the joyous news that we continued to receive even weeks after her surgery.

It’s not an easy thing to smile when you’re mad or afraid. It’s a decision we must make. What will you decide for today? Will you continue to wallow in whatever situation you find yourself in? Or will you fight through it to find your smile and in turn, find your strength in His perfect joy? When we let go of the burdens of this world and decide to trust in His goodness, we find a joy unlike any other. A joy that renders us unshakable with its strength is unmatched! Let go of what burdens you and find strength in His wonderous joy!