The Joy of the Lord is my strength.

 The Unbreakable Joy

"The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

Not my joy—for that is a weathervane,

turning with every wind of circumstance.

It is frail,it is fleeting, a cup too soon drained.

But Your joy, Lord.

The deep,unshakable gladness of Heaven,

the delight of the Trinity in redemption’s design.

Thatjoy—Your joy—becomes mine.

And in its taking,it forges a strength not my own.

It is the joy that sang over chaos,

“Let there be light!”

The joy that set a rescue in motion in a garden’s dim night.

The joy“set before him” that made Christ endure the cross,

despising its shame.(Hebrews 12:2)

It is the joy of the Father welcoming the prodigal home,

of the Shepherd shouldering the found lamb.

It is joy with scars on its hands.

This joy is my citadel.

When my own happiness withers,

when my laughter grows thin and forced,

I retreat to the heart of this fortress.

I drink from a well that is not my own.

And there,in that communion—

tastingYour delight in being my God,

Yourpleasure in my being Your child—

my bones are renewed.

My knees cease their trembling.

A resilient,quiet power rises from a source

deeper than despair.

This joy is my weapon.

It is the song in the prison at midnight.(Acts 16:25)

It is the praise that routes armies.(2 Chronicles 20:21-22)

It is the“inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8)

of a salvation unspeakable,

held in a cracked clay vessel.

It confuses the enemy,

for it shines brightest

when the battle is hottest.

This joy is my nourishment.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you

and that your joy may be complete.”(John 15:11)

It is the fruit of abiding,not of striving.

It is the proof of connection to the Vine.

I do not manufacture it.

I receive it.

I choose it.

I stand upon it.

So today, I claim not a feeling,

but a fact.

I am weak.I am tired. I am frayed.

Butthe joy of the Lord—

Your everlasting,covenant-keeping,

grave-shattering,heart-restoring joy—

is my strength.

It is the iron in my spine.

It is the song in my silence.

It is the fuel for the next step.

I am strong, not because I am joyful,

but because I am held by the Joyful One.

And in His joy,I find my unshakable might.

Amen.