Joy: Day 3
God likes to party. That statement probably strikes us all a bit strange and yet it is true. Of the Old Testament feasts, which were to be kept as a matter of obedience, there was only one in which there was to be a sad mood-the Day of Atonement. All the rest of the feasts in the covenant were to be celebrations filled with joy. In our Scripture reading, we find this instruction to the people of Israel to be joyful. Having just heard the law and realizing the many shortcomings each of them had, the people reacted in sadness. Nehemiah simply says this mood will not do for God’s people. After all, the joy of the Lord is their strength. The people here were not to be joyful because they were law breakers and sinners. Their joy was to come from the fact that they understood what God wanted them to do. This understanding allowed them to enter into a deeper relationship with God. Any deepening in our relationship with God results in joy just as it did for these people. The joy of the Lord is our strength because the more we know Him, the more He becomes our everything. With God as the center of our lives, there is nothing that can keep us from joy and fulfillment.
Prayer focus: Thank God that He is a God who brings joy to those who know Him. Ask God for His joy to be your strength for everything you face today.