RECLAIMING THE JOY OF THE LORD FOUND IN THE WORD
Is there a Word from the Lord? The single most asked question in the Bible! And if you know of a more pertinent question to be asking in the twilight years of our lives, speak now or forever hold your peace . . . For, you see, when all has been said and done, what Christians have is hope - built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. Therein lies the basis of our eternal joy – that great joy which we discovered when we found God’s answer to THE question of all time in THE Book of all time.
No writer of the books of The Bible said it better than “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 1:14): “The WORD became flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So . . .
“If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart”!
Rediscovering the joy of the Lord is an ever-present need in lives of not only individuals but nations, as was the case with Israel after spending seventy years in exile in Babylon (modern-day Iraq).
You will recall that Nehemiah, a captive Jew, wept upon hearing of the chaos that reigned back home; he begged for and got permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and its walls.
Upon returning to the city, plain to see were ruined lives of folks who had been left behind . . . plain to see, on the faces of those who had just returned to their homeland after being set free, were looks of desperation and despair.
However, among the physical ruins of the temple, The Book containing the Word of the Lord had been discovered.
Nehemiah seized the moment! He (the governor) instructed Ezra the priest to set aside a time for rediscovering the joy of the Lord found in The Word of the Lord – Nehemiah 1:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 . . . Notice the progression of rediscovery: The people settled down . . . assembled . . . the priest opened The Book and read it - slowly . . . the folks listened - attentively . . . interpreters to whom God gave the gift of discernment explained what was read and what it meant . . . tears of great joy flowed – freely . . . the people bowed in awe and reverence . . . repented – honestly and openly . . . praised the Lord . . . celebrated . . . shared their joy . . . commemorated their experience of joy with a renewed respect for The Word and a revived spirit – and the theme of their Revival was: “Grieve no longer, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
What is your strength? The joy of the Lord! A divine attribute imparted to believers by the Lord God! The security of the believer if you will! Often spoken of intellectually as Paul put it - “I know whom I have believed” . . . insightfully as Fannie J. Crosby the blind hymn writer sung it – “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine, Oh what a foretaste of glory divine” . . . spiritually as the psalmist poetically penned it – “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation!”
In the Word a nation and its people found joy - 2500 years ago. In the Word our nation and the vast majority of its people can find joy IF Christians, called by His name, humble themselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from sinful ways! In these days of 21st century bondage to so many fears that plague us on so many fronts, this challenge of reclaiming joy ought to be one of our top priorities. It’s not about national pride . . . national security . . . stock market trends. It’s not even about health issues or family relationships.
Reclaiming joy is about reconnecting with the God in whom we say we trust by repenting of our sins against God whereupon our great God, the author of joy, restores unto us, individually and collectively, the joy of salvation . . . forgiveness . . . being blessed as a nation whose God is the Lord.
What will it take for a Great Awakening to occur in the nation as a whole? 1st Peter 4:17 – “It is time for judgment to begin with the family of God . . .” There must first be an awakening in the hearts and minds of “Christian” America – those who are called Christians.
How can Father God restore our joy when some preachers, teachers and professing Christians go along with blatant disregard for the sacredness of life and institutions created and defined by God in the beginning?
Folks, real joy is not the same as the happiness for which all people have a longing in their hearts and which our Bill of Rights guarantees. Happiness depends largely upon happenings – good health, good food, congenial fellowship, pleasant surroundings, financial stability, etcetera. Happiness and unhappiness cannot and do not exist together. But joy and sorrow can and do!
Our Lord was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3) but “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Paul and Silas, scourged and in prison with their feet in stocks, could hardly be described as happy, but at midnight they sang praises to God with such joy that God caused an earthquake, and not only delivered them but brought the joy of salvation to the jailer’s household!
Reclaiming the joy of salvation means reconnecting with God in whom we say we trust. How do we do that? Return . . . Read . . . Reexamine . . . Rediscover God’s Will . . . Reemploy God’s purpose for His people by embracing His cardinal principles . . . embedding His clear precepts . . . impacting every facet of our lives with The Word as God gives opportunity.
This impact of The Word will be effective, Jesus said, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you . . . showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15)
At long last, in these tumultuous times in which we live, people of God are beginning to show themselves to be His disciples. I’ve noticed it on Facebook . . . in letters to the editor . . . on radio talk shows . . . in TV interviews . . . in political debates . . . in public gatherings . . . in the sports arena . . . even from many of the pulpits of America. Could it be that revival is just around the corner? Let’s hope so!
“For the Word of God is The Living Word, powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword!” Sounds like what we the Church . . . Disciples of Christ . . . the Nation who says we trust in God needs!
Folks, the joy of the Lord is a result of God’s work in our hearts (Galatians 5:22) - individually and collectively. If the Church of Christ does not lead the way, who will?
As for me, and I hope as for you, I am so glad to see signs that the Body of Christ is once again coming alive!
I’m beginning to feel better about it . . . like Robert Louis Stevenson who once entered into his diary what he considered to be an extraordinary thing: “I have been to Church today, and surprisingly I am not depressed!”
I hope that you too are beginning to feel better about your situation and that you, like me, “grieve no longer, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Is there any particular Word of the Lord . . . Word of God . . . Verse in the Bible that serves the purpose of helping you feel better?
What will make us all feel better is to pray this prayer and do what it says: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my joy) and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14) Amen.
