Day 31
…And there
was very great rejoicing.
Nehemiah
8:17
True
joy can be found in one place, and one place alone; in obedience to the word of
God. People tend to look for joy in all sorts of places. However, they repeatedly
come up empty, because nothing can satisfy like a right relationship with God.
Money cannot fulfill. Success cannot fulfill. Relationships cannot fulfill. All
of these things may bring happiness for a season, but the fulfillment will be fleeting.
The
journey that Nehemiah and the people of Israel have been on is an interesting one.
They have gone from living in utter chaos to a place of security. This is true
physically, but it is also true spiritually. Jerusalem was in ruins. Now, there
is a wall, security, and leadership. Spiritually, they were far from God. Now
the Law has once again found its rightful place in their lives. Not only are
they reading the law, but they are obeying the Law.
As
they have submitted themselves to the word of God, they are rediscovering the
Feast and Festivals that God had given to them as an act of remembrance and celebration.
One such feast that has been rediscovered is the Festival of the Tabernacles.
This was to remind them of their time in the wilderness and God’s faithful hand
as they journeyed to the promised land. This was also a celebration of the
harvest that had just been brought in; a celebration God’s continued
faithfulness. We are told that during this celebration, “there was very great
rejoicing.”
In
order to find true joy, happiness, and meaning in our lives, we will have to do
the same thing the Israelites did; we will have to but the instruction of our Lord
front and center in our lives. We can try and do it our own way, but we will find
ourselves in a wilderness of sorts. If we want to discover our “promised land,”
we will have to be submissive to the call of God. Commit today to do things God’s
way, not your own.
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