Daily Devotional – Tuesday, March 8, 2022
…for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV)
When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, guilt and sorrow engulf us. We feel estranged from God. A good example is Psalm 51, which David wrote after he committed adultery and murder through proxy.
Notice verse 7: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. These, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17). Similarly, when he denied Jesus thrice, “…Peter went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:62).
For the Joy of the LORD is Your Strength
We encounter a comparable scenario in Nehemiah Chapter 8. After Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites read the law of the Lord to the returning exile, we read, “… all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.” (Nehemiah 8:9).
In contrast, the leaders discouraged prolonged mourning. They told the repentant Jews:
“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.” (Nehemiah 8:10).
When the Sorrow of Sin Turns into the Joy of Forgiveness
Herein is a powerful lesson in repentance and forgiveness. God is not human to hold onto anger forever. When He forgives, He forgets our wrongs. He treats us as if we have never sinned. That is why our mourning for sin should turn into thankful joy once God forgives us.
We should not magnify our sin above God’s forgiving and restorative power. The immensity of our sin will never overcome the unconditional love of God. The joy that emanates from God’s forgiveness gives us strength to overcome sin and its effects in our lives.
The Joy of the LORD is Your Strength
Today, if the weight of guilty weighs you down, turn to God in repentance and ask for forgiveness. However, do not remain in sorrow and sadness but rejoice because God has pardoned you and is restoring His image in you.
Rejoice, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Loving Father, thank You for turning my sorrow for sin into the joy of forgiveness and restoration.
God’s unconditional love is worth His mercy. With genuine repetance, He forgives our iniquities and remembers them no more.
Amen, Danvas
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