01/05/2024 – The Joy of the Lord is your Strength
Nehemiah 2: 1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.”
No significant achievement begins with naïve happiness. Every invention, every business, every enterprise begins from the realization of a need and the hard work to resolve it. A desire for constant happiness seems to deny reality.
The year that changed the life of Nehemiah and turned him into the man who led the people of God in the reconstruction of Jerusalem, began not with happiness, but with great sadness. We read that it was during the New Year celebration, when the Israelites observed Passover, that Nehemiah received news that brought him great sadness.
Nehemiah was sad because he found out that those who survived the exile were in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem was broken down, and its gates had been burned with fire. Nehemiah sat down and wept. For some days he mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
The days we are living are not much different. Many people around the world are in great trouble and disgrace. How can we be happy? How can we go on as if nothing happened? The walls of our cities are broken down and the gates are burned with fire. We have a biblical role model for times such as this.
The first response from Nehemiah is to embrace holy sadness. There is a holy sadness that always leads to victory and joy. It is a sadness unavoidable in the children of God while we are in the world. It is the sadness we experience when we become aware of the calamity of our neighbor.