The Joy of the Lord is our strength!

There once was a girl who had everything. She was a bright, confident girl, lots of friends, bubbly personality, loved by many and she loved many, also. She was clever and was doing well for herself- her future seemed to be planned out and secure, and she had entrusted her life to God. Heavily involved in church and with a passion for her friends to receive Jesus, she often seemed to be ticking all the right boxes. Her friends sometimes even saw her as an example of faith, and she encouraged many with her words of wisdom and compliments. When the time came, she moved away. It was time for her to spread her wings and she left for a distant land, longing for others to believe what she believed, to have the fun that she had and know the Father and King that she knew and clung onto. Her life honoured and blessed God, and so many blessings she received throughout her life. This distant land was filled with endless possibilities that excited her and released her further into the world.

Until one day…

The land that offered hopes and dreams suddenly opened its arms of despair, misery, pain and destruction. She became a girl who lacked happiness, her bubbly personality had been snatched and she struggled to feel loved in her current state. It seemed that life, life that once seemed full of freedom and joy, had been stolen for a life of weakness and fragility.

The world said that she had failed, that she was unlovable, that she would always be a burden. That she would never be the same again, that she lacked the vital ingredient to be a friend, that she was an embarrassment and someone to hide. That she could never serve God effectively and that her desires were now totally out of reach. Her painful heart cried out, “Why me?” but in integrity, she deeply whispered, “Why NOT me?” Knowing that God was still in control, she learnt to crack a smile every now and again, and pushed herself forward to regain the hope and brightness she once felt and showed.

Her friends and family looked on and watched her suffer, feeling completely helpless that this time; mummy couldn’t fix it with a plaster and daddy couldn’t sing a lullaby to give her peace, nanny’s cakes wouldn’t fill that empty void and a hug or kiss felt too little too late.

If this was friends and family, imagine how God felt?!

This links perfectly with the story of the prodigal son. God’s creation was suffering, yet he knew full well that he could fix it, but interference didn’t show the ultimate love of the Father. The Father can’t force his love, we have to choose to accept his love and allow it to permeate within us. 

The world said that she was unlovable and uncared for, Jesus said that she was his beloved child on whom his favour rests.

Never mind that both theyounger son, and the girl, felt that they could offer nothing, God uses nothing to make something! The sheer love of the Father cannot be removed, our willingness to accept it, however, can. But this girl found herself entangled in what the world said and not what Jesus screamed so silently. She began to accept that failure was the way forward, that there was no way out and resentment had made its home in her. Here, the girl shows signs of the elder son: the son who had shown no faults to his Father, yet was not celebrated when he ever succeeded. The younger son had to accept what he had done, and accept forgiveness from his Father, knowing that he in fact was worthy. Whereas the elder son stands back, looks on at his younger brother and does not allow himself to be held in the loving arms of the Father and allow himself to be healed, also.

Do we accept the rejection of the world that imprisons us, or do we claim the freedom of the children on God? Claiming freedom is not failure, but allows grace; something that we must accept in order to give and show to others.

Just like when the younger son returned, the Father stood with his arms wide open, full of excitement that his son had chosen to return and accept what his Father so desperately wants others to receive! The girl allowed God to cradle her like a first born is held by its mother, releasing pain through tears of sorrow as she felt squeezed tighter and tighter by her Heavenly Dad.

She began to accept the Father’s love, knowing that she will never fail, that failure wasn’t an option! She accepted that she was loveable, that others could and would care for her not out of sympathy but out of a devotion to see her succeed and fulfil her heavenly purpose!

She began to look at life in a new way, to accept the new normal and deal with it appropriately. Her brightness returned and she was the lost girl, now found. Happiness had re-entered and she found time to re-find her life, just as the prodigal son enjoyed his feast and party! She began to accept others to enjoy in her life and felt included and wanted, not excluded and rejected. Rejection had now been cast out, leaving an open space for something productive to make its home. Hope was restored, knowing that, yes, there will continue to be difficult times but that it’s not the end- it’s the beginning of God taking real control in her life and seating himself in the driver’s seat in her life.

This girl wanted to continue seeking her purpose and not let anything hold her back. She had once been told that joy was something that she would show to people; she would live a life full of joy and it would seep out of her and infect others. At that time, she felt like the least joyful person she knew, spending so much time contemplating the position of her future and coming to terms with the adaptations of life. Praying for strength became part of her daily routine, and God met her daily needs. But yet there was still that space that hadn’t been filled…

Whilst praying, this girl was reminded of a verse: “the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10. Just before this verse, it tells us to not grieve, not to mourn or weep as the people were crying at the sound of the new law. This girl was grieving the loss of her old life, that life wouldn’t be the same again but neither was it the end of life altogether. Weeping and mourning were becoming less and less, but still remained a problem, even though she had the exact amount of strength to face each day. The finding has the losing in the background. She had found her new life but the loss of her old life must still be appreciated and recognised. Her journey showed loss but she needed to accept that, be at peace with the past and seek a bright future in order to move on.

She remembered that joy was something called upon her life. Joy is a gift, as Galatians tells us, something open for us to have when we ask. She realised that the gap in her life that needed to be filled was joy-shaped. And not just any joy, but joy in the Lord, knowing that joy in Jesus Christ, receiving salvation and accepting His grace and love and living our lives out in, through and by Him. This is our sustenance, joy is our strength! Yes, strength is something to be asked for, but simply by taking joy in our King, creator and Saviour, knowing that we are secure in him, that all things work together for the good of those who love Him, reminding ourselves of his perfect sacrifice and immersing ourselves in our personal relationship with him, we find a new start to every heart that’s found Jesus, a new hope, full of Godly joy.

Rejection from the world, caused by self-doubt, led to condemnation, pain and loneliness. This lonely place was full of weakness. The younger son accepted his weakness, the girl recognised hers. They both knew it didn’t have to be that way if they accepted that they are God’s beloved children, on whom his favour rests.

Rejection vs joy, weakness vs strength.

The son chose, the girl chose. Have you?