Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Nehemiah 8 - Joy

We don’t celebrate enough. We don’t. We’re so critical of ourselves and suspicious of how short term victories are that we fail to celebrate. Maybe this is in line with how we respond to most things, we make them about us. If we thought about victories as being God’s more than ours, we might release ourselves to celebrate them more. We might recognize God’s hand more, see His work as more obvious, and find more joy in the fact that God is good - and He is at work - in and around us.

“Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." – Nehemiah8:10


I love that Nehemiah not only gives permission to celebrate with food and drink, but to also bring others into the celebration. A sacred day to the Lord… is a day in which celebration is appropriate. And we honor God when we live in that freedom.

And here’s the kicker: The JOY of the LORD becomes our strength, not just our luxury, but our strength. The phrase, “is your strength”, comes from the Hebrew word ma`owz which literally means a “fortified place” and figuratively, “a defense”. It’s used interchangeably throughout scripture with the word “rock”.

Awesome.
Posted by Brandon Hatmaker at 10:39 PM
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4 comments:

  1. TrayJanuary 28, 2009 at 8:23 AM

    I like this....that His joy isnt only our joy...but our fortress, source of strength.

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  2. Michael HillJanuary 29, 2009 at 12:23 PM

    I think we as a culture focus on the negative WAY TOO MUCH. You know the saying, "bad news sells". It seems we like to see bad things happen to other people. When we look at life through those glasses we look at our life that way. It seems it is easier for me to focus on the negative and take the positive for granted. I think it is a choice we must make. You need to choose to look at the good and focus on your victories through God.

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2009 at 11:24 AM

    I like this Brandon. True joy is something that's been missing from my life for quite a while. I think I attributed it to the storm I'm in, but it's probably more about me not recognizing my joy SHOULD come from the LORD and not man. I'm enjoying your blog.

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  4. Brandon HatmakerJanuary 31, 2009 at 11:28 AM

    thanks laura.

    and there is not just joy.. but HIS strength that comes from joy! We all need a little more strength. I prayed for you today.

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