Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV) For the joy of the LORD is your strength.

It is from His joy that you draw your strength from and His joy is one which never fades, His joy is full of victory. Your strength comes from the Lord, your joy comes from Him. His joy is a joy which the world can neither understand, nor can it take away from the saints of God, for in Him you have something to be joyful about, something to rejoice about and something to sing about.

The Bible says in Habakkuk 3:18 (KJV), “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation”. The Bible also in Psalm 35:9 (KJV), “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation”.

In the Book of Acts, the people were filled with Joy in the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit”). The Kingdom of heaven gives you joy in the Holy Spirit, a joy in Jesus. Also in Acts 2:28, we read, “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence”. The Greek word for joy is, euphrosyne, meaning gladness, joy that fills you with rejoicing. It is exuberant joy! Joy produces strength, and in His strength, we can face anything!

The Bible says in Isaiah 61:7 (NIV), “They will inherit a double portion, and everlasting joy shall be theirs”. The Hebrew word for joy is, samha, meaning a celebration of joy, make merry, delight in and be joyful.

My friend, when you feel a bit down, or things try and get on top of you, or circumstances try and get the better of you, look to Jesus for inspiration, and lift your voice to Him and sing. His joy keeps you going, His joy keeps you smiling through the hard times and His joy cheers your soul. O the bliss of this wonderful verse of Scripture from Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) He has given you a crown of beauty for ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, And a garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair. The joy of knowing Jesus, the joy of salvation, is an overflowing joy, as our text for today says in Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV), “For the joy of the LORD is your strength”.

God bless you my friend, Matthew.