The JOY of the LORD is my STRENGTH!
Nehemiah 8:8-11
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
Are you grieving? We all grieve! We may grieve the loss of a loved one; or because of the complications of sin in the lives of those we love; or because of the consequences of our own sin. There are many reasons for which we might grieve. Perhaps it is the consequences of doing right…Paul and Silas (thrown in jail for witnessing for Jesus Christ); Job (a righteous man) lost 10 of his children due to no fault of his own.
Acts 16:23-31
And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
The righteous actions of Paul and Silas, even though their lives looked very bleak at the time, made an eternal difference in the lives of those around them. Who is watching us? Will they see our response to life’s troubles and trials and want to be saved? Or will they see us acting just like the world? You can make a difference. Our actions do matter.
Proverbs 10:29
The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
Take heart! Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
God is good all the time! And HE is working things for our good! We can trust Him! Wait for Him, because God is always working!