Suzi Pitts

Nehemiah 8:5-9

Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. The Levites instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 

 

Reflection:

Awareness. Acknowledgment. Lament. Grief. Service. Partying. Joy. There is a lot going on in this scripture!

King Nebuchadnezzar had sacked Jerusalem and held the Israelites captive in Babylon for 70 years. Now, the wall of the city has been rebuilt and the Israelites have been brought back from exile. But first, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levite priests gathered the 42,360 men plus 7,337 slaves to read the Law. They listened carefully and perhaps they truly understood the words for the first time. They started to weep and lament as they felt convicted of their sin, acknowledging their shortcomings. Their hearts were grieved.

But Nehemiah tells them to stop. He explains that this day was holy to the Lord; a day they for which they had prayed. He instructed that the day was for celebration, and—this is my favorite part—they were to go and make delicious food and drink and share some with those who had none. It was time for a party and God desired to join them in the celebration just because they were God’s own.

 

How do we make that move from lament to joy? What happens when we mess up? When we write that email we wish we hadn’t? When we shoot that text that we thought was funny but ended up hurting someone? When we didn’t obey that nudge from the Holy Spirit? How do we recover from letting the God we love down a thousand little ways?

 

Perhaps we need to check our perception of God and his forgiveness when we repent. One of my favorite scriptures is from Zephaniah. I know; it’s not widely read, but you may have heard this verse from chapter 3:

 

“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Please note that God doesn’t forgive and hold a grudge or a somber expression of disparagement, God rejoices over us WITH SINGING! That is the joy of the Lord. That is my strength. Glory to God!

Prayer:

Precious Lord, You are the best. Your love for us is never-ending, never-failing, and new every morning. Keep my eyes so focused on your ways that I do not stray, my heart so ready to obey, my feet ready to move in service and my voice warmed up to join in your song. Your joy is my strength! Hallelujah and amen.