Word Filled Wednesday for April 21

Again, will have to comment at home, please bear with me.

"...do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 (b)

There is a commandment in that verse and an exhortation.

Do not sorrow. I don't know about you, but when it says "do not" in the Bible, I certainly pay attention. It is a commandment from the Lord to NOT do something that is displeasing to Him. Do not sorrow.

No matter what you are going through in life, God is commanding you to not sorrow, don't be sad, don't grieve, don't be disappointed or depressed. Just . . . DON'T!

But why?

Because the joy of the LORD IS our strength! His joy is ours. If we delight in what the Lord delights in and keep that as our main focus, instead of looking for the negative, then how can we be sad or depressed when it comes to life?

There are a lot of things wrong with this world, but that's because this is a fallen world, filled with fallen people, run by the great deceiver, temping, luring, enticing everyone to do the wrong thing and tricking them into thinking it is the right thing, only to have those people ensnared by feelings of "how could I have...?", guilt, sorrow, anger, unworthiness, misery, etc. once they realize the wrongness of their actions/behavior/attitude. Haven't you heard? Misery loves company and the devil is the most miserable wretch of all!

But what if we "turn our eyes upon Jesus"? What if we learn to love what He loves? What if we train ourselves to delight in what He delights in? I think it's very clear that we will gather strength from His joy when we are flagging and falling behind and feeling sorry for ourselves, our circumstances, just feeling sorry in general.

Instead of depression, peace.

Instead of anger, happiness.

Instead of grief and pain, contentment.

Instead of sorrow, joy.

Once we learn to see things as God sees them, our world view, our lives, our personalities, our emotions will be radically changed! We will gather the strength we need to get through this life because of the joy of the Lord as we focus on the right things.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His Glory and Grace"

The joy of the Lord is my strength,
the joy of the Lord is my strength,
The joy of the Lord is my strength,
the joy of the Lord is my strength.

He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more,
He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more.
He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more,
the joy of the Lord is my strength.

He gives me living water and I thirst no more,
He gives me living water and I thirst no more.
He gives me living water and I thirst no more,
the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Are you willing to let the joy of the Lord be YOUR strength today? Because, honestly? I can't see any other kind of strength enduring through the tough times and trials of life other than the strength of God. Can you? Find your joy in Him today and see how wonderfully He can change your life!

For other excellent Word Filled Wednesdays please visit our hostess Christy @ Critty Joy or drop by “The 160 Acre Woods” to find out more about how to participate in Word Filled Wednesdays.