The joy of the Lord is my strength.

 The Joy of the Lord

Not a fleeting laugh, a momentary cheer,

But a deep,defining river, running clear.

Not a smile untouched by grief or human pain,

But a settled truth that sings through sun and rain.

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

It is the citadel when circumstance assails,

The sturdy wind that fills my weary sails.

When my own well of happiness runs dry,

This borrowed gladness lifts my gaze on high.

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

It is my anchor in the surging flood,

The settledyes that comes from God is good.

It turns the heavy manna of today

To heaven's taste,and strengthens me for the way.

It is the hidden manna, stored within,

A quiet feast when outer storms begin.

The secret song the prison cannot drown,

A living flame no circumstance can burn down.

Though the fig tree does not bud... yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

It is the strength to stand when I would flee,

To love the difficult,to serve the least with glee.

To offer kindness from a heart that's pressed,

To find in simple thanks,a holy rest.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

This joy—it is Your very life in me,

A fruit of Spirit-grown maturity.

It does not bypass sorrow’s sacred ground,

But there,with You, its richest root is found.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)

So let this joy be my unshakable frame,

My holy fuel,my ever-burning flame.

Not my own making,but Your gift, my claim—

The joy of the Lord, my everlasting strength.

Amen.

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The Stronghold of Joy:

This declaration is rooted in a profound spiritual reality: our strength is not mustered from within, but drawn from a divinely given joy.

· Nehemiah 8:10 is the direct source, spoken to a people grieving their failures, reminding them that true strength is found in the holy joy that comes from God.

· Habakkuk 3:17-18 shows this joy is circumstance-defiant—a choice to rejoice in God Himself when all earthly reasons fail.

· Philippians 4:4 commands it as a discipline, linking it directly to the Lord's nearness.

· Psalm 16:11 reveals its ultimate source: God's own presence. His joy becomes our strength when we abide in Him.

This joy is not a mask for pain, but a bedrock beneath it. It is the strength to endure, to love, to hope, and to walk the path set before us, because it flows from the eternal, unchanging gladness of God over His people. It is our fortress.