Joy

"And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Sounds mysterious. But it's actually very straight forward.

"For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" 2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

Whether you are going through small irritations (car problems or a financial squeeze) or family crises (troubled marriage, wayward children), heavy challenges (fatal illness, hospital stays, crushing medical bills), the joy of the Lord is your strength. 

The joy of the Lord isn't a feeling that pops up, unexpectedly, out of nowhere. The joy of the Lord is a choice. 

I have been planning to set aside one day a week, Mondays, for example, to praise and worship God during my prayer time. Wild, crazy praise. All by myself. Dancing, shouting, leaping, falling facedown, bowing in worship, etc before God. 

I wonder what would happen in my life if I would actually do this. No requests. No petitions. Just one day a week to mentally clean house and replace every worry and concern that may pop up during the day with loud, boisterous praise and worship. 

(You may not be able to practice this in your workplace, just saying.)

I will let you know how it goes.

"Thank You, Jesus, for this revelation. I am going to set aside some time, as the Jews did here in Nehemiah, to celebrate. First, I repent of all of my petty, selfish concerns. Then I ask You to clean out my heart. I replace every concern, worry, or challenge with Your joy. I lay everything at Your feet, and leave it there. Especially the stuff that I can't fix. I simply praise and worship You. Your joy is my strength. How I love You, Jesus. AMEN."