Seventy years is a long time to be away from home, and now, the people of Judah were returning under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. While this was a journey many had longed to make, the reality of the ruins that they found was overwhelming. There was a lot of work to be done, but before all of this could be accomplished, the people were called to hear the reading of God's Law. After all, it was sin and idolatry that had separated them from their covenant God. Now, they needed to hear once again what God expected of His people. As the people listened, Nehemiah gave these instructions (Chapter 8:9-10): "…9Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law. 10Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” 11And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”… The key verse in this passage is "the joy of the LORD is your strength".
While the people of Judah had every reason to grieve over their past sins, this day was declared a holy day. Not only did they have good food to enjoy but they had God's Word read so they could understand His covenant with them. This was the foundation that would give them the strength to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. Likewise, this is our foundation when life offers us challenges. We find our ability to persevere when the joy of our Lord fills us. Let me give an example.
When people ask me if it is hard recuperating from knee surgery, I tell them that the easiest part is the surgery. It isn't hard to go to sleep and wake up with a new knee. No, the hard work doesn't come until after you go home. Then, the work begins in earnest. Exercising swollen tissue and muscles is not easy. However, if you want your knee to function normally again, you have no choice but to keep working through the pain. This is where it is important to have a goal. For me, I want to take walks again and take pictures of flowers and God's creatures. This is very attainable if I apply myself on a daily basis. The same is true for other goals or difficulties that we face in life. We have a choice. We can either give up and go have a pity party or we can find our strength in the joy of the Lord.
There are several ways we can learn to develop that deep joy. First and foremost, we need to pray every day. I find that if I hem my day in prayer, it is less likely to unravel. Without committing our cares to Him, we carry the burden of our troubles with us everywhere we go. It is a weight we were never meant to carry. The Lord tells us to "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
A second way to find deep joy is by reading the Bible on a daily basis. Both my husband and I found a reading plan that takes us through the Word in a year. Filling our minds with God's thoughts keeps us on track in our relationship with God. This is why Ezra read the Law of Moses to the people returning to the land. They needed a reason to build, a hope to build on and joy to get the job done. The same is true for us.
Finally, we need Christian fellowship to fill up our joy tank! If I had to do all my rehab home alone, I would be tempted to skip it. However, in the fellowship of physical therapists and other patients, I find myself pushing through the discomfort to reach my goal. The same is true in our spiritual life. We need other believers to talk to and encourage us when life hands us tough times. The people of Judah found strength not only in the joy of the Lord but by having fellowship with one another as they went about rebuilding their city. We are no different. The three keys to having the joy in the Lord then are simple: pray, be in the Bible daily and have fellowship with other believers. This is what keeps me moving towards recovery and my prayer is that this will help each of you reading this to know that the "joy of the Lord is your strength" to face whatever lies ahead for you. Selah!
No comments:
Post a Comment