What the Bible Says
Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
What My Mind Thinks
Moods can be like a frigid draft slithering under the front door on a chilly night. The icy fingers wrap themselves around the dangling sock feet of our emotions. Just like drafts are felt before the open door is seen, so too moods can take control of our thoughts before we really know why. A whole day can be spoiled by a mood that slipped through the door we left ajar to disappointment.
How can we caulk our soul to insulate it from moods? The answer is to warm ourselves in the emotions of God. The bright outlook of the Lord gives us permission to feel what our circumstances say we have no right to experience. God is immersed in joy and we are free to live in liberty no matter our mood.
For the first time in 70 years God’s people were ready to read the Bible. It was a great day. There had been a lifetime of national mourning. Now they were ready to obey. Ezra and Nehemiah had made a fiesta out of the first public reading of the ancient scrolls. But the party soon turned into a funeral as the people realized how right God’s word is and how wrong their lives were. Waves of regret swept over them. There is a difference between guilt and regret. Guilt is for sin unforgiven. Regret is for the day after forgiveness.
What Nehemiah did next was surprising. He stopped the people from feeling badly about their past. It was time to move forward. Guilt must be dealt with, but regret must be left behind. There are mood moments when we wish we could push the backspace button and delete days lived and words spoken. God gives us the freedom to experience feelings we have no right to feel. That’s grace. God feels joy so we can too.
Getting My Heart to Cooperate
Have I given myself permission to feel today what God feels? Mood adjustment was so important to Nehemiah that he and the leaders moved through the crowds insisting that God’s people go on with the party as planned. If it mattered that much to them, it should to me as well. If we reach into our heart there is an aquifer of joy that is just beneath the surface. The joy of the Lord is our strength…and our gift today.
What My Spirit Prays
Father, I open my heart to emotions that I don’t deserve today. Your joy is my reward. Help me not to live beneath my privileges of joy. Amen.
