His Joy is My Strength

The joy of the Lord is my strength. That is a thought that has caught my attention a few times in the last year but especially this week. The idea of finding my strength in God's joy is fascinating.

My initial thought was about the things that God takes joy in - our love for Him, when we obey Him, etc. But as you know if you've read my blog for any period of time, those things put a lot of weight on "me." No, it isn't actually me doing those things, its the Holy Spirit in me, molding me to be like Jesus, but I am someone who takes control, makes lists, figures out how to accomplish what needs to be done. Yet God's joy isn't in what I do for Him. His joy is in me. He delights in me. He loves me as He made me, and He loves me as He makes me new. His joy is in me. That blows my mind. I fail and fail and fail, but that is the point. There is so much freedom in that thought! His joy is in me!

And thus, His joy is my strength. I find my strength, my power, my will to go on in His joy for me and all that that entails.  The joy of the Lord is my strength.

I constantly put a lot of things on myself, I often take back control of my life. I like to be in charge, I like to know the plan, I like to have the direction. But that isn't what God calls me to. God called me to freedom, freedom from my own self, freedom from what I think is best, freedom from my sense of responsibility. God has given me freedom to do nothing else but love Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Out of that love flows everything else. Yes, sometimes those things are hard, and loving Him means (for me) wrestling and choosing and surrendering and allowing Him to do through me. But in loving Him, I am free. If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed. How true those words are!

Life can be hard. Seeking the Lord in everything isn't always easy to do. Walking by faith instead of sight is scary and wearying. But the joy of the Lord is my strength. His joy is what carries me through.