The joy of the Lord

And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold. Nehemiah 8:10b

How, in the midst of difficult times, does the joy of the Lord become our strength? I believe 1 Thessalonians gives us a clue ...

And you [set yourselves to] become imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord himself, for you welcomed our message in [spite of] much persecution, with joy [inspired] by the Holy Spirit; 1 Thessalonians 1:6 AMP

The Message Bible puts it this way, from verse 5

When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit! - taking the trouble with joy, the joy with the trouble. 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6 The Message

We become imitators of Christ. We stay close to Jesus. We learn how Jesus responded in the difficult times. We do the same. We lay it all down and say,'God, not my will, but Yours'.

And going a little further, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire. Matthew 26:39 AMP

We listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We listen and obey. We let Him access our heart and teach us to look at things from His eternal perspective, not our 'five minute' perspective. We accept that He is sovereign and He has a bigger purpose.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom from the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. The will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV

We read His word, and we read His word, and we read His word.

Your words were found, and I ate them; and Your words were to be a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16 AMP

Question for today, are you looking for the joy of the Lord to be your strength? If so, why not take some time today to meditate on the scriptures above, and ask God to show you what, in your life, needs adjustment to allow His joy to reign in you? But be patient, as in my experience, this is a daily process that can take a while - don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen overnight, keep asking and keep adjusting.