His Joy Completes Us

 

The joy of the Lord is my strength… Nehemiah 8: 10

This is one of those intriguing verses that both, confuse me and delight me.  I’ve never been completely sure what it truly means.  But, the words have always had an impact…even when I don’t fully grasp it…the words grab my soul. 

We spent a glorious week at Lake Erie recently, and one morning, I decided to go down to the beach by myself to enjoy the quiet serenity of the waters.  After I walked a bit and looked for some beach glass, I sat down on a rock to just be…to admire the splendor of my surroundings…and the majesty of Lake Erie in all its glory melted my heart.  Scripture thoughts came to mind at that moment. Thoughts of how creation reflects God’s nature and who He is, like Romans 1: 20, floated in my mind as I contemplated the beauty of the place: 

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1: 20

Then, this realization came to me: everything I love about the great lake speaks to me about God and who He is:  immense, powerful, overwhelming, owe-inspiring, and absolutely, indescribably, stunningly gorgeous.  Contemplating the emotions that the lake evokes in my heart leave me breathless and speechless.  And above all…it fills me with joy.

In that solitude, I closed my eyes for it was almost too much…and something I had just read a few minutes before I made the trek down the 80+ steps to the beach came to my mind…it was just a few words:  “it is not our joy…it is His joy…” that’s when it clicked:  the joy this place fills me with is not mine, it is His joy.  And, in turn, in His joy, my heart fills up with His joy, and in that joy, I am renewed and strengthened.  The sensations I experience when the Joy of the Lord fills my soul are a manifestation of power and strength that allow me to face life and whatever comes with it…therefore, the joy of the Lord is, indeed, my strength!

Oh, how marvelous!

I breathed in the clean, morning air, deeply grateful for these moments.  And to think that the way the immensity and the beauty of Lake Erie blows me away is a pale comparison to the way Our Lord’s Majestic Presence will one day make me feel…praises flow out of my soul.  Worthy is the Lamb.  May His Joy strengthen us each and every day, as creation reminds us of who He is.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

John 15: 11