THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH

Nehemiah 8:10

Neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

The returned exiles had just completed rebuilding the wall around their beloved city of Jerusalem. They gathered to hear the reading of God’s Law, and they wept with sorrow for how far they had strayed from their Lord. Nehemiah told them not to grieve, but to move forward in the joy of the Lord. God had brought them back from exile and kept his promises to them—and as they returned to him, he would return to them.

Sadly, a lot of people get stuck. They feel that they have strayed so far away from God that there’s no use coming back. Unlike the prodigal son who finally realized that returning home in humility was better than living with the pigs (see Luke 15), they simply keep trying to make it on their own—and made a worse mess of their lives.

Are you a prodigal? Do you know one? It’s never too late to come back to God. Do not grieve. The joy of the Lord is your strength. 

GOD’S PROMISE TO ME:

• It’s never too late to come back to me.

• My joy will give you strength to move ahead no matter what your past has been like.

MY PRAYER TO GOD:

Thank you, God, that it’s never too late to come back to you. The past is difficult to let go of, but with your joy helping me, I can move forward into what you have for me. Amen.