Something Cool God is doing:

My daughter was engaged to create a worship night. As she prayed and works on the set list and set up, she felt that the Lord wanted to call it ” The Joy of the Lord in our strength.” What she didn’t realize was that the worship night would come right in the middle of a series we are doing at church called “Joyfull” about building a generous and content life. When the Lord does that work – it goes together.

She had been feeling and had said at the worship night that there has been a weight on us as a church for some time. And she had been praying, that whoever came to the event, the Lord was calling us to go a little deeper and be willing to step into the joy of the Lord.

Another side note detail, she has placed a 15 min space between the 2 worship sets for something. She had asked different people, but they were not going to be able to come. She heard the Lord to set it and she left it.

In the meantime, I was being stirred to write deeper on the topic. I told her about it. And she gave the ok to speak it.

The Joy of the Lord is our strength

The first time we hear the phrase “The Joy of the Lord is our Strength” is in Nehemiah 8 There is revival happening in the land— the people hear the word of God and they weep in repentance but Nehemiah tells them to rejoice! 

Nehemiah 8:9-12 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”  12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

I looked at the verses that are reference for the word joy  – they are in Leviticus and Deuteronomy It says to rejoice before your God: 

• in everything you do and all that you put your hand to 
• at the place that God chooses  – BE JOYFUL! 

It’s a command – not an outcome or a feeling! You and I are commanded to rejoice and then God’s joy will be your strength. It’s profound! 

This is connected with Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Again, this is not an outcome or a feeling – it is obedience. Why? Because we must choose to obey it regardless of circumstances, regardless of how we feel. Many of us go from crisis to crisis depending on our emotions to make us feel better, good, right, even well? The Bible doesn’t say, “IF you feel good, rejoice.” No, it simply says, “REJOICE!” and Again I say, “REJOICE!” A command of God to re-joy in Him. 

And then get this!!! Philippians 4:10-13 (this is Paul who is in prison) But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

Paul had learned in whatever state he was in to be content whether abased or abounding — in little or in much — being full and hungry — having plenty and suffering in need — He learned the command to REJOICE!! Then he says this: I can do all things through Christ (in whom I rejoice) who strengthens me. 

We hear people say “The joy of the Lord is our strength” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But we don’t always get to see from the scripture or hear this truth that it is “Rejoicing in the Lord” that is the key to being strengthened in the Lord! Rejoicing in everything we do and all we put our hand to – because God chooses us to do it. Obedience in this brings the ability to do all things THROUGH CHRIST – who is our strength. 

Something else cool

With the worship night, and then this writing about the joy of the Lord being our strength, I find it just the coolest set up that we are about to step into November and do a “give thanks” challenge.

REJOICE is to experience joy and gladness, to animate with lively pleasurable

JOY is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good.

So to RE-JOY – is the see the good and the graces you have all around you and give thanks!

If you want to join us in a #givethanks challenge, you can download the sheet for the month of November here. on my substack.

A little extra digging

I had written a post about praise, thanks,…and eh, submission over on my substack. This particular post, I had asked a few questions.

One of those questions was “What kind of “things” came up in your mind about submission?”

I’ve written a lot of things about submission over the years. This word gets the dirty looks. It has been used against people and has been connected to abuse of people. But a little while back I wrote a little something that was healing to me. In marriage, when your spouse asks of you and you follow through with it, that is submission. It’s not scary. In another place in writing about humility I wrote, humility is when you humble yourself and sit down.

Ok, now take that and look at this definition of Submit from Websters 1828 dictionary.

Submit: To let down; to cause to sink or lower.  To yield, resign or surrender to the power, will or authority of another

Submission then is an act of humility to follow the authority of another.

Ok, now if you have read the things that I have linked at my substack, now see the full picture:

¹⁷ Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:17-24

What if not being filled with the Spirit, not rejoicing, and being joyful in the Lord causes us to not be able to give thanks for all things. And because we can’t be thankful, we refuse to be humble which causes us to rebel against and refuse the gift that submission is supposed to be.

And no, I am not condoning submission to abuse! That needs to be called out! As we can see from above this is no such thing as one side submits to the other side. It is “submit to one another” in the fear of God. Why the fear of God? Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When we recognize His ways are the best ways. We humble ourselves and obey.

Good stuff re-read:

Done But Not Done! 6 things we must be done with in order to have unity:

Thanks for listening,

Starla