Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV
“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.”
INSIGHT
-This is a well-known scripture as numerous songs are based on it. This scripture was written after the Israelites returned to Jerusalem from exile. When Ezra the priest and scribe was reading the law to the people it produced sorrow because their lives and behavior were not in alignment with the law. They were listening to the law being read, were overcome with condemnation, and were weeping. But instead of being rebuked and condemned, they were instructed to celebrate because of the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is foundational in a relationship with God when we understand His attribute of everlasting love. God is love and love for covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). We are called to love God and one another deeply.
PRAYER
You are our Strength and Shield dear Lord Jesus, our hearts trust in You. Our hearts greatly rejoice and with song we praise You. You Lord are our Strength and the saving refuge of us Your anointed. May You anoint us afresh Holy Spirit and fill us with Your fruit of joy. May You forgive us all our trespasses and sins, and deliver us from all guilt. May You fill our hearts and our mouths with Your joy, for You are our God. May You be with all those who are waiting on You for marriages, that You may fill their hearts with joy and beautify their weddings. May You grant the gift of children to all the couples who wait on You dear Jesus, for Your mercy and love endures forever. May You remember all those who have lost their loved ones and have been displaced by floods, that You may settle their hearts with Your peace and joy. May You bless us as we wait on You for various petitions, for we put all our trust in You dear Lord. May You strengthen us even when we are weak and wait on You and fill us with Your joy and love for You, and one another. We praise Your name and adore You dear Lord Jesus, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray believing and trusting. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 28:7–8
Psalms 51:8-12 NKJV
“Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
INSIGHT
-King David was a man after God’s own heart. One day he decided to relax and instructed his soldiers to go fighting. He lusted after Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife and sinned against God when he was at the peak of his kingship (2 Samuel 11:1-27). He repented and asked for God’s mercy and grace which comes with the joy of the Lord and gladness through the gift of salvation. We are reminded to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We are called to repentance and seek the face of the Lord with humility and He will uplift us as we experience His joy.
PRAYER
Have mercy upon me O God according to Your lovingkindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. May You blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin, for we acknowledge our transgressions and my sins are always before us. Against You only have we sinned, and done evil in Your sight. Behold we were brought forth in iniquity, and in sin we were conceived. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make us to know wisdom. Purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean. Wash us and we shall be whiter than snow. May You cleanse us from all sin Jesus and wash us with Your precious blood and renew a steadfast spirit within us. May You restore unto us the joy of Your salvation and uphold us by Your generous Spirit. May You help us to work our salvation with fear and trembling precious Holy Spirit. May You cleanse our leaders and nation with Your precious blood and prosper our land dear Jesus. May You grant us victory in all spheres of our lives. Amen
Further reading: Philippians 2:12-13
Psalms 16:11 NKJV
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
INSIGHT
-God is Omnipresent. He requires that we realize He is always present with us. God calls us to seek Him and pray to Him all the time. The Lord needs us to commune with Him and build a relationship with Him. In God’s presence there is fullness of joy. God gives us complete joy even in the storm. God gives us fullness of joy, but the joy of a hypocrite is for a moment (Job 20:5). The joy of a hypocrite is short lived, but the joy of the Lord is eternal and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.
PRAYER
Almighty Father we come before You today with hearts of gratitude full of thanksgiving proclaiming Your greatness and might. You are wonderful and able, there is truly none like You in all the earth and the heavens. You are Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. Lord we thank You for all You have done for us, all Your great works and for all the good plans You have set for us which eye has not seen nor ear has had. May Your presence always dwell with us precious Holy Spirit. May You calm every storm in our lives. Oh Lord, today we trust in You, in Your promises to us. You are our faithful God. May You fulfill all that You promised so that our joy may be made complete, for You are not like a man to lie. Oh Lord may Your joy be our portion. May You grant us the fruit of joy, the eternal joy that cannot be taken away from us. May that joy be our portion always. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Further reading: Psalm 95:2
Romans 15:13 NIV
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
INSIGHT
-Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The joy of the Lord assures us hope in Him. God calls us to trust in Him with all our hearts and we will find rest and peace all situations. In sickness, lack, distress, delay, adversity and all circumstances, the Lord gives us rest despite our shortcomings. The Lord says to us today, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Our God is tender at heart and calls us to come to Him as we are. Our God never fails but gives us rest for our souls. When we have rest we have overflowing hope and joy in our hearts.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus You are the hope of our salvation, we put all our hope and trust in You. Some trust in horse’s others trust in chariots, but we put all our trust in You Lord our God. Dear Lord Jesus You have called us to trust in You with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding; but in all our ways submit to You, and You will make our paths straight. May You make all our paths straight dear Lord Jesus. May You teach us to trust in You in all situations. May anoint us afresh Holy Spirit so that our souls may rest secure in You always. May You empower us in Your grace to resist all temptations and overcome all evil. May You deliver us from all adversities, addictions, and distress together with our families. May You deliver our nation from oppression, corruption, misuse of funds, foreign interferences and all evil. May You heal all our diseases and illnesses. May You deliver all the street children and families, dear Lord Jesus. May You bless us and answer all our hearts desires. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Galatians 5:22–23
John 16:22-24 NIV
“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus had not yet been glorified and His disciples were not in a position then to ask anything in His name. The power in His name and blood had not yet been fully utilized but we have become the beneficiaries, and have our victory in Him. God calls us to love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. We are partakers of His kingdom and when we ask anything in Jesus’ name, He will answers us so that our joy may be full.
SUMMARY
Joy is a calm delight that remains even in the midst of a storm and confusion. Joy of the Lord produces cheerfulness in all situations. The joy of the Lord is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is the most active and effective anti-depressant in the world. It cures from all stress and depression despite the factors and causes that come with it. Happiness on the other hand originates from external events and is short lived. Joy of the Lord is internal and permanent as we continually put our trust in Him. The joy of the Lord gives us strength to access God’s provision of love and salvation (Nehemiah 8:10). God calls us to pray and ask anything in His name and He will respond. God calls us to love one another and to love Him by keeping His commandments. When David went astray through the sin of adultery, he repented. Psalms 51 reveals the areas that sin affect and may cause sickness, including sin by birth, through bones, blood, brain etc. David asked for God’s mercy and forgiveness which restores the joy of God’s salvation. He requested that the Holy Spirit may not depart from him. The presence of the Holy Spirit makes our joy complete in Him (Psalms 16:11). As we trust and believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and gives us peace and unmeasurable joy (Romans 15:13).
PRAYER
Thank You Precious Holy Spirit for dwelling with us and in us this far. You have been our Ebenezer, this far it is You. You have brought us this far we bless Your holy name. As we come to the close of the year, we want to express our sincere gratitude to You and declare how we love You dear Lord Jesus. May You help us to love You more and our neighbors as ourselves. May You make our joy complete in You in all spheres of our lives. May You answer all our prayers and hearts desires precious Holy Spirit. May You bless us and keep us. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: Mark 12:28-31