A lot of people misquote the above scripture consisting of only a few words. They say, "The joy of the Lord is MY strength." That's not what Nehemiah said. Check it out for yourself in Nehemiah 8:10.
While it is nice to say that to yourself, Nehemiah said it to the workers who had helped him rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in only 52 days. The workers had finished and were tired in body and spirit. Therefore, they needed to be replenished. So Nehemiah told them to go and refresh themselves by eating and drinking. Then he told them, "The joy of the Lord is YOUR strength."
There might be people in your midst who need to be replenished more than you do. Don't make it about yourself. Tell them what Nehemiah told his workers. Tell those around what the scripture says: "The joy of the Lord is YOUR strength."
Rev. Margaret Minnicks
