image courtesy of ventrilock/freedigitalphots.net

After a time of prayer with a group of people in church, an older man came forward and gave me a hug. He stepped back and said, “I just feel like you need to know, the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

I thanked him, and then went into the church service. I continued in depression, fear and anxiety for quite some time after that. But thanks be to the Lord, I did come out of it.

Now whenever I start to get down about something, I am reminded that I need to worship. Worship lifts my mind and my soul from looking at my problems, to looking at Jesus. Worship fills me with hope.

Every day, I try to set aside time to get away by myself and worship and pray. Usually I use some of my favorite worship music to sing along with. For me, it isn’t time wasted, but time well spent. It affects every area of my life for the better.

When I take time to worship, I have an easier time for the rest of the day hearing from God and seeing things from His perspective. When I don’t worship, and especially if a few days have gone by, it’s so easy for me to walk in the flesh…in what I see, think and feel.

The Joy of the Lord is my strength, and a lot of that strength comes from worship; spending time in the Lord’s presence. During those times with the Lord, I have received so much direction, discernment and wisdom that I would not have received otherwise. Worshipping and spending time with Jesus not only gives us strength, but the Lord pours into us what we need for that day.

Take some time today to worship and spend time with the Lord.

…Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV).