“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Joy in the Hebrew is “chedvah” meaning, rejoicing, gladness, joy. In Greek it is “chara” meaning cheerfulness, calm delight.
The Word is Good News! God’s Word produces joy in our hearts. When we read the Word we began to understand that it is God’s will for us to prosper, to be in health, to live in peace and that produces joy on the inside of us.
Once we have heard the Word that “the joy of the Lord is our strength” the devil comes immediately to steal that Word from us. He begins to use the little things to steal our joy: your hair don’t look right, the car won’t start, the coffee maker quits working at five in the morning. It is the in the little things.
Joy has been given to us by God and it is a spiritual force. This joy that has been given to us is not happiness that depends on the circumstances that we are in. It is from within us because He lives in us. The joy of the Lord is our strength. We have been given this strength to overcome anything the enemy throws our way.
Scripture tells us in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!