“Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me?  HOPE IN GOD, for I shall yet PRAISE HIM.”

Psalm 42:5

It is really IMPORTANT for all of us to keep JOY ALIVE!  The Bible tells us in Nehemiah 8:10, “ . . . Do not sorrow for the JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.”

 It is interesting to note in Nehemiah 8:9 the Bible says, “Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ’This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.’  For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.”  They had been in captivity for 70 years, the scrolls had been left behind.  It also states in verse 8, they helped the people understand the reading.  It had been such a long time they began to weep aloud.  You could say they had been through a spiritual drought.

Ways to keep joy alive is definitely to read and speak God’s Word.  Study and understand what it is saying to you.  Understand the meaning.

“I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.”

Psalm 119:162

When people lose their joy, they lose their strength and productivity.  Energy just seems to disappear.  Remember the scripture; “the JOY of the LORD is YOUR STRENGTH!”

Simply put, we can’t afford to lose our joy.  Joy brings an ENERGY that propels us forward.  I love what Nehemiah tells the people in Nehemiah 8:10,  “Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord.  Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Take time to put God’s Word in your life, and then celebrate His love for you.