Taking joy seriously

 

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Nehemiah 8:10 is an important verse for me. You may remember Nehemiah's words to the people as they wept: The joy of the Lord is your strength. That was his response as the people mourned their sin. They had just heard from God's word. And there were those who explained what they heard. The people, then, knew they had transgressed. So, they wept. Nehemiah, though, shifted their sorrow. I've long since traded my sorrow for God's joy. It's the reason I'm annoyingly hopeful and cheerful. Some might say joy is the only thing I take seriously. I'd be okay with that. Just know the joy of the Lord isn't superficial. It's not an escape from what is really happening in the world. Joy is the conviction of God's goodness despite life's cruelty. Nehemiah wasn't asking the people to forget their sorrow. He was showing them how to hold it in perspective. Remember this: the scene where Nehemiah shares that encouragement started someplace else. In the first chapter of the book that bears his name, Nehemiah inquired about "the Jews who escaped, those who had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem" (1:2). The news was horrible. Nehemiah "wept and mourned for days" after he heard that. Their trouble and shame were his. He fasted and he prayed day and night for God to hear him. He remembered God's promises of redemption. Now, there's a lot of the story to fill in from that moment. Suffice it to say Nehemiah's grief kindled an idea that would lead him to the scene in Chapter 8. I'll say Nehemiah relied on the joy he knew from God. That's how he walked through his grief. That's how he rebuilt Jerusalem. And that's why he knew it was something the people needed to hear later. Choosing joy doesn't mean you don't know or experience pain. You do. Your own and that of others. But choosing joy is a way of affirming God's goodness and power to come. Stay blessed...john