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The Joy of the Lord



Most Christians are familiar with the end of Nehemiah 8:10.  "...for the joy of the Lord is your strength." The challenge would be to see if how many would know the full verse.

"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." KJV

Here is what happened.

Jerusalem's walls were in ruins, having been destroyed by one invader after another.  Nehemiah was named governor of the region and began the task of rebuilding the falls of the city.  It took 52 days for the people to rebuild the walls and the gates of Jerusalem.

A day was set aside to celebrate the completion.  As part of that celebrate, Ezra, the religious leader at the time was asked to read the laws of Moses as given by God.  On that morning, Ezra read till noon, and as the people began to understand how they had sinned and forgotten the grace of God, they began to weep.

It was then that Ezra and Nehemiah extolled the people to not cry.  It was a holy day in the eyes of the Lord, a day of celebration, not a day of mourning.  It is then that we get the tenth verse of the eight chapter of Nehemiah.

The people were not to focus on the failures of the past, but to look forward to the possibilities of a life covered by the love and grace of God.

The next time you see "The joy of the Lord is your strength" remember the story and to focus on the possibilities of the future and not the failures of the past.

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