In the Shadow
Have you ever struggled to find the good in the day? You’ve just had a tough day where everything seems to be working against whatever you have been striving towards. The happiness you felt when the sun came up has disappeared and you can’t seem to find the joy in it all. Have you ever had that day? You aren’t alone. We live in a world where happiness often seems fleeting and joy is just out of reach. What makes it more difficult is a culture that keeps telling us to find our own happiness. To pursue our own desires. However what culture pushes us towards fails to understand that there is a joy that transcends circumstances, a joy rooted not in today but in the eternal. This joy, given from God called the joy of the Lord, stands as a beacon of hope and strength amidst life's trials to those who follow the way of Jesus.
When Nehemiah stood before the Israelites, looking around at the enemies trying to get through the newly built walls of Jerusalem, he declared, The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). When the mainstream constantly tells us to rely on ourselves, this is a profound statement that defies the norms of society. While the world dictates that strength comes from power, wealth, or success… The joy of the Lord offers a different perspective—a perspective that finds strength in surrender, in dependence on something greater than ourselves.
Rend Collective beautifully encapsulates this countercultural nature of joy when they sing though tears may fall, my song will rise, my song will rise to you (Rend Collective, Joy of the Lord). Even in the midst of sorrow, struggle and sadness, there is a melody of praise that transcends pain. This is the paradox of Christian joy, it coexists with sorrow because In the darkness I'll dance. In the shadows I'll sing, the joy of the Lord is my strength (Rend Collective, Joy of the Lord).
The joy they describe echoes the voice of the psalmist words deeply when they wrote you have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent (Psalm 30:11-12a NLT). The joy that comes from God has the power to transform our perspective on the circumstances we face. It doesn’t just gloss it over so that it masks pain but it’s a profound reality that affects every aspect of our being. It takes our mourning, our sorrow, our brokenness, and transforms it into something beautiful—a dance of joy, a song of praise.
But how can we tap into this countercultural joy? How can we experience the joy of the Lord as our strength? It begins with a shift in perspective, a turning away from the endless pursuit of happiness and the fleeting pleasures of the world and a turning toward the eternal truths found in God's presence.
In the presence of God, there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). It is not dependent on external circumstances but on the unchanging nature of God Himself. As Rend Collective sings, While there's breath in my lungs I will praise You, Lord (Rend Collective, Joy of the Lord). This is the essence of true joy - unwavering praise and gratitude regardless of our circumstances.
In a world that often equates joy with the pursuit of self-gratification, the joy of the Lord stands as a radical alternative. It’s a joy that finds fulfillment not in the accumulation of possessions or the attainment of worldly success but in the intimate relationship we have with our Creator.
Let the words of the psalmist be on our hearts this week. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! (Psalm 30:11-12 NLT). Let’s dance in the darkness, sing in the shadows, and proclaim with unwavering faith that the joy of the Lord is our strength!
When Nehemiah stood before the Israelites, looking around at the enemies trying to get through the newly built walls of Jerusalem, he declared, The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). When the mainstream constantly tells us to rely on ourselves, this is a profound statement that defies the norms of society. While the world dictates that strength comes from power, wealth, or success… The joy of the Lord offers a different perspective—a perspective that finds strength in surrender, in dependence on something greater than ourselves.
Rend Collective beautifully encapsulates this countercultural nature of joy when they sing though tears may fall, my song will rise, my song will rise to you (Rend Collective, Joy of the Lord). Even in the midst of sorrow, struggle and sadness, there is a melody of praise that transcends pain. This is the paradox of Christian joy, it coexists with sorrow because In the darkness I'll dance. In the shadows I'll sing, the joy of the Lord is my strength (Rend Collective, Joy of the Lord).
The joy they describe echoes the voice of the psalmist words deeply when they wrote you have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent (Psalm 30:11-12a NLT). The joy that comes from God has the power to transform our perspective on the circumstances we face. It doesn’t just gloss it over so that it masks pain but it’s a profound reality that affects every aspect of our being. It takes our mourning, our sorrow, our brokenness, and transforms it into something beautiful—a dance of joy, a song of praise.
But how can we tap into this countercultural joy? How can we experience the joy of the Lord as our strength? It begins with a shift in perspective, a turning away from the endless pursuit of happiness and the fleeting pleasures of the world and a turning toward the eternal truths found in God's presence.
In the presence of God, there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). It is not dependent on external circumstances but on the unchanging nature of God Himself. As Rend Collective sings, While there's breath in my lungs I will praise You, Lord (Rend Collective, Joy of the Lord). This is the essence of true joy - unwavering praise and gratitude regardless of our circumstances.
In a world that often equates joy with the pursuit of self-gratification, the joy of the Lord stands as a radical alternative. It’s a joy that finds fulfillment not in the accumulation of possessions or the attainment of worldly success but in the intimate relationship we have with our Creator.
Let the words of the psalmist be on our hearts this week. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! (Psalm 30:11-12 NLT). Let’s dance in the darkness, sing in the shadows, and proclaim with unwavering faith that the joy of the Lord is our strength!
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