WATCHWORD:
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. Nehemiah 8:10
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control… 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-23,25
Meditation:
Let Me Clarify
I offer a retraction. Well, maybe not a retraction, maybe a qualification. Well, maybe not a qualification, may be clarification. That’s it, let me clarify. Here it is: In Friday’s Meditation on Watchword, I made the argument that Joy was a choice, our choice. Then on Saturday, I was soundly informed differently by Jesus and Oswald Chambers. I confess, I misunderstood. Well, maybe not misunderstood so much as reflected on only a small part of joy.
Nehemiah made it clear, but I did not read it for the full meaning. “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.” It is not my joy, but the Joy of the Lord that buoys me, lifts me up and makes my day. “Joy comes in the morning.” A joy that we treasure, that comes with the dawn of a new day, that is fresh and new in little moments throughout our day, in us and our loved ones, gifted by the Lord.
“…the Joy of the Lord…” Think on that. What would bring joy to the Lord? Since we started with Nehemiah, we will stay with him for a few sentences. First of all, his name, Nehemiah, means God has comforted. He was not a spiritual leader or prophet, he was a slave to a king in Persia. Through his dedication to God, his prayer life, his character and leadership, he ends up the governor of Jerusalem and is instrumental in rebuilding the walls of the city. He pleases God. That is a clue.
What would bring joy to the Lord? How about loving your neighbor as yourself? Or, loving others as He loves us. Or perhaps imitating the Good Samaritan. Sharing ‘living water’, His Word.
Chambers says this: “The one true mark of a saint of God is the inner creativity that flows from being totally surrendered to Jesus Christ. In the life of a saint there is this amazing Well, which is a continual Source of original life. The Spirit of God is a Well of water springing up perpetually fresh. A saint realizes that it is God who engineers his circumstances…” who realizes that God is in charge and surrenders to that conviction.
In Jesus Calling, He tells us: “I am creating something new in you: a bubbling spring of Joy that spills over into other’s lives. Do not mistake this Joy for your own or try to take credit for it in any way. Instead, watch in delight as My Spirit flows through you to bless others. Let yourself become a reservoir of the Spirit’s fruit.”
Did you catch that? On further reflection, I do want to retract Friday’s narrow thought, Joy is the Lord’s and we do not take credit for any part of it. In a very real way, we, who are saints, are receptacles through which our Lord pours his graces, his joy to others. Because of that, we can say, with conviction, that “the Joy of the Lord is our strength, and our faith.
There is one more lesson we can take away from Nehemiah. He was a trusted slave to a king, but his allegiance was to God. When he was assigned a task, he always prayed to God for guidance. In all things, he was led by the Spirit. His place in God’s Holy Word is there because of his faith.
Five hundred and fifty years later, the Apostle Paul would put that in a letter he wrote the Philippians. In truth, we do not decide we will have joy, that is not the choice. The choice is to pray and follow the nudges of the Holy Spirit. The Joy of our Lord is our faith.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
God’s peace = Joy
Bulletin Board:
From Bonnie Hammonds — Thanks for sharing the letter from Anne Lamott. She eloquently describes our failed human condition in ways that really strikes a chord for me. I also like your choice of scripture passage, especially I Peter 5:7 concerning anxiety. That scripture and Anne’s statement is going onto my bathroom mirror so that I am reminded every day to include in my prayers!
Sunday Humor – A Priest and al Rabbi are dining together when the priest starts teasing the rabbi. “Wow, this ham is really good,” he said smacking his lips. “I know it’s against your religion, but when are you going to break down and finally have some. After a moment, the rabbi responded with a smile, “At your wedding.”
Closing Prayer:
Lord our God, in the grace of Jesus Christ we pray to you that your will may be done for us and for all the world. Through Jesus Christ grant us faith that you love us, faith that we may live in your love, that we may hope in your love every day and have peace on earth, where there is so much unrest and trouble. Keep us firm and constant, remaining in your peace and in the inner quiet you give us because Jesus Christ has overcome the world. He has truly overcome, and this fills us with Your joy. We praise you, Almighty God, that you have sent Jesus Christ and that he has overcome the world. We praise you that he has overcome all evil, sin, and death, and that we may rejoice at all times in your presence. Amen.
