Joy and Strength

The joy of the Lord is your strength.--Neh. 8: 10.

All joy is strengthening. Joy lifts us up and makes us feel strong. In a cheerful, hopeful mood we can do that which is quite impossible if we are in a downcast, pessimistic mood. Go to your work with a dejected and fearful heart, and your work will be done weakly and poorly. Go to any task in a buoyant and resolute spirit, and you’ll do it well.

If all joy is strengthening, how much more so is the joy of the Lord. What is the joy of the Lord?
It is that serene cheerfulness which springs from an unwavering trust in God, and which is therefore independent of outward circumstances. Settled in a perfect trust in God, we abide in a settled joy.

If the lesser joys of life strengthen us, how much more are we strengthened by this calm, settled joy which comes from trust in God. If you have the joy of the Lord in your heart, you have strength--

Strength for facing temptation,

Strength for bearing griefs and sorrows,

Strength for enduring trouble without losing heart,

Strength for overcoming frustration and disappointment,

Strength for all the trials and conflicts of life,

Strength for facing up to life when the outlook is dark and discouraging,

Strength for your daily work,

Strength for meeting all your duties and responsibilities.

Show me a man who trusts in God, unwaveringly and unceasingly, and who knows that gladness and cheerfulness which spring from such trust, and I will show you a man of unwavering and unceasing strength of heart. An unquenchable strength resides in the heart that knows the joy of the Lord.