The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

⁸ And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. ⁹ And Nehemi'ah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." ¹¹ So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, "Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved." ¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. Nehemiah 8:8-12

There is a spiritual awakening within one's soul when God's word is understood. In the story of Nehemiah God's remnant after their captivity rediscovers God's plan of salvation by understanding his Word. The result is joy. Notice the instruction in verse 11: (1) Be Quiet; and, (2) Do Not Be Grieved. In a world of i pods and 24/7 news and entertainment, we often become "lost" by failing to quiet the soul and to look upward. The busy mind is the generic mental illness of our society. I find the early morning hours before dawn as a time when the soul can connect with the quiet of the day. And, no matter what battles one faces in life, we are not to be "grieved". Faith can comfort us even when we walk through the shadow of the valley of death. Our strength is not in and of ourselves but comes from the joy of the Lord.