Let God’s Joy Be Your Strength
Have you ever been so tired you cried out, “Lord, give me strength!”
Me too. Sometimes weariness becomes additional stress.
We’re not the only ones in history who’ve been exhausted. Can we learn from the examples of those who’ve gone before us? I believe so.
The Book of Nehemiah, in the Holy Bible, tells of a people who had been forcefully taken from their land and after 70 years had been allowed to return. No matter how pumped up and excited they must have been when they began to rebuild their capital city, they soon became worn out by their enemies’ non-stop attacks and a feeling their work was imperfect.
Seeking to renew their vision and faith in God, Ezra the Priest read from the first five books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy. Hearing the Word of God, Nehemiah, the Governor, cried, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10 ESV)
Did you catch that? God’s joy is strength!
Consider the implications of exchanging your weakness and weariness with God’s joy. You replace your limited ability and exhaustion with God’s infinite strength. “Wow! Yes! Give me that!” We exclaim in unison!
But just how does joy become strength? Is joy freedom from stress? Spiritual promises seem powerless when your day is filled with itemized lists of unfinished projects and anxiety robs you of joy by creating an illusion that you will never be able to catch up.
Genesis declares that in six days God created the heavens and the earth. God dealt with extremely complex issues! (see Genesis 1-2). His To-Do list was thorough and utterly long: the prioritization of incomprehensible tasks, the coordination of inter- and intra-relationships had to be flawless, the timing of each day’s tasks had to be impeccable.
Six days God labored but on the seventh day, he rested. In other words, he no longer worried himself with complexities, with doing more, or worrying about the future and sustainability of what he had accomplished.
Consider the implications that God rested: It’s a mysterious expression because it implies a weariness trying to be satisfied.
On the contrary, God rested—not from weariness, but from fulfillment. He reflected on what was completed and was satisfied to let everything else wait.
Many of us stop because we’re exhausted; God rested because his work was complete. God rested to delight. The right kind of rest will free you from weariness. The right kind of rest is to delight in the work and presence of God.
The Psalmist understood and exclaimed, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11 ESV). True rest is good and God commands you and me to mimic him because when we consciously and spiritually relax, we are refreshed and rejuvenated.
Today, trust God with what remains undone. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength!
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