Glued to the promise…

"… for the joy of the Lord is your strength” Nehemiah 8:10

This verse has been ringing on my head while I was in the bus going to work. For many times I have asked myself, what makes people endure? What keeps people smile in the brink of breaking? What holds them to be strong and just pursue the promised future? And there are so much unspoken mysteries that I can muse about… And then I asked myself… what keep me then fighting the good fight?

I was given a promise since I was a child and just the picture of the fulfillment makes me enthusiastic of the future.

In 2 Samuel 23:9-10, these verses boast about one of the great men of David – Eleazar. When the men retreated, he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and FROZE to the SWORD. Like him, I glued myself to the promise and HIS promise is my SWORD.

"… for the joy of the Lord is your strength” Nehemiah 8:10. We have this inner joy that only HE provides – a joy that is not dictated by any circumstances or joy that is not bound by time; it never fades and it never falters. But this verse gave another impression to me this morning, a whisper that says, “It is MY joy to see you enduring. It is MY joy to see you standing over and over. It is MY joy to see you winning battles after battles. It is MY joy to see you believing in Me. It is MY joy to see you walking on the water. MY JOY is your fuel because it’s your joy to please me.”

These very words brought tears to my eyes. Since day one, I’m still that same child who received the promise. Years passed yet still I’m that same child who is glued to HIS promise.