Sipping on Joy
There are days when I feel strong. By strong, I don’t mean that I can lift weights to impress the masses, but internally I know I have the fortification I need to conquer the day. Good or bad, I could make it through the day, looking back at the night's end, knowing I handled it with grace, peace, and joy. Those days I feel strong and empowered to keep my head high, taking the pressure or the weight on my shoulders. That, by definition, is the quality or state of being strong.
There is a verse in the Bible that says, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” Looking at that phrase and the context it was written is inspiring. The people of Israel were being told about the laws required of them. A measuring stick was being laid out, and they became overwhelmed by how they couldn’t measure up. They felt defeated, weak, and unable to meet the requirements. Until they were told that a way had been provided for them. As Ezra spoke about God’s law, the people felt the weight of their sin. However, they were told to remember God’s provision in bringing them out of Egypt, providing for them in the wilderness, and to look ahead at God’s provision of a Savior. At that moment, Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Jesus is our salvation! He is the one that was promised, the Savior who would take away the sins of the world. Joy, that comes from that fact and ultimately from Jesus himself, is strength (protection, safety, refuge, and fortification). He is our joy and strength. If strength is the measuring stick that shows how strong I am, then I want Jesus’ joy to be what oozes out of every pour. Please make no mistake; the challenging moments press out of us, either a glistening sparkle of joy or the heavy stench of defeat. I want it to be said that even though sorrow and disappointment pressed hard at me, joy surfaced and the presence of light pushed back the darkness. Though frustrations abound or distractions try to detour, I can be sourced by the joy of the Lord, which is my strength!
The term Lord refers to the one who holds power and authority over all. When we allow God’s love, which sent Jesus, to create space to have a personal relationship with us, we can choose to make Jesus our Lord. Then we trust that He alone is the one who has rulership over our lives and the evil that tries to overtake us, stripping us of our joy and peace. The joy that comes from seeing His power and authority at work in our hearts is what fortifies us for all the things.
From that place, we can do what Ezra says: go eat, drink, and rejoice! There is an internal strength that we can cling to even in complex and pressing moments. Some days, you must choose to put a straw in it and commit to drawing power from the deepest place of joy. Maybe it is not surface joy or even noticeable things… perhaps you have to dig deep and slurp and sputter and suck up every last ounce of joy you can because strength is needed. Whether life is easy or full of challenging moments, let’s be determined to drink in what is sweet and have a surplus of joy to send out to others who may need it in their disappointment.
In this season and all the rest, we can always return to the promise that “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me (Jesus) and drink. He who believes in Me ( Lord God Almighty), as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” John 7:37-39. Let’s sip on the living and active joy that overflows in abundance from the heart of God. He is our wellspring of life, and in Him (if we fill up daily) we will have all the peace, joy, and strength we need for a rich and abundant journey.
