Everything we face in this lifetime will require a certain level of strength, and we need to pull this strength out from a source we can rely on. God promises in His word that He is a more than sufficient source of strength that we can turn to at all times.
When you're tired, burnt-out or frustrated, where do you draw your strength to carry on from? For most people, they like to get strength from a form of recreation or seasons of rest. Still for others strength can come from a vice, a habit, a relationship and many other things. All of these are wonderful things, but can we truly put all our hopes on them at all times? Can a habit, a relationship, a recreational activity be readily available at all times? Sooner or later we discover that they cannot.
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, "Then he said to them, 'Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'"
At this moment in Nehemiah, the people of Jerusalem had just finished rebuilding a wall of their fortified city. You can imagine the level of exhaustion they must have felt after fifty-two days of non-stop construction and warding off of opposing cities while building went on. As guided by the Holy Spirit, Nehemiah then reminds the people to draw strength once more from God, which the people had forgotten for for so long.
Maybe you find yourself in the same situation as the Israelites when the walls of Jerusalem was down. You feel defenceless, in dire need of certain things and helpless. As a result, you have been without rest for the longest time. Maybe you've been spending months, even years, working to pay off a debt or you've been trying non-stop to win back a relationship that was lost.
In these times, God wants to remind us to return to the joy that comes from the Lord. What is the joy of the Lord and how do we receive it? Galatians 5:22 reminds us that one of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. This joy comes to us only by being in the presence of the Holy Spirit and from knowing and abiding in Christ. As we do so, God gives us a supernatural strength drawn from His joy.
Unlike the things of this world, God's joy is reliable and is always readily available to those who believe in Him. If you're tired today, you can return to God and proclaim that the joy of the Lord is your strength knowing that He will give you the strength to face those challenges.
