Image Above: Fans at a rock concert – not a Christian concert.
"I was so pumped. The place was just rockin' for the Lord. The drummer was amazing. The whole band was crazy good. The lead guitarist was like an Eddie Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix. They had the whole congregation on their feet, clapping and dancing. I thought some people were going to lose it. By the end of the second song, people were shouting: 'Praise the Lord,' jumping up and down and laughing hysterically. The place was so alive. I had shivers. You could just feeeeeeel the Lord. You sure wouldn't call it a dead church."
After an experience like that, everything would seem dead or at least dying — to whom? To those who may very well be dead themselves or withering spiritually. For many, a concert like that may be the closest thing they’ve found to experiencing what they imagine the joy of the Lord to be, as mentioned in the Word of God.
Read your Bible carefully to understand the dynamics of the occasion when this statement was made:
“The joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Ezra and some others walked out onto the stage in Jerusalem’s Watergate Public Square. No, it wasn’t a Christian rock concert – but people packed the Square. The crowd stood to their feet when Ezra opened God’s book. Ezra prayed, and all the people said: “Amen, Amen.” The people themselves paused, with their heads bent towards the ground in prayer, anxious to hear the Word of God read and explained to them so they could obey it.
For several hours, non-stop, the Word of God was read with explanations given after each phrase or sentence.
Look at that young father over there. His face is soaking wet with tears. The little red-haired boy in his arms doesn’t understand what’s going on. The young girl standing beside them keeps wiping her eyes. Elam, Zattu, Bani and Bunni are all fighting back tears.
In fact, it seemed like everyone was broken and crying as their hearts melted in contrition, sorrow and repentance at the Word of God. That’s when Nehemiah told them to dry their eyes and uttered those memorable words: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Talented people can whip up frothy excitement like fizz is produced in a can of soda or pop. Once the stage production ends, the fizz fizzles. You don’t have to be enjoying the Lord to use your skills to make a crowd come alive with shivering goosebumps. Nor do you have to be enjoying the Lord to get caught up in the moment of Christian music and to wave your arms with emotions and excitement.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying good music and waving your arms while you sing along — as long as you understand that may not be the joy of the Lord. That may not even be a spiritual high moment for you. It could be a fleeting adrenalin high. It happens at non-Christian rock concerts too. When the performance is over and people return home, the effervescent ‘joyful’ experience may evaporate quickly – characteristic of weakness, not strength.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The genuine joy of the Lord is a Christian’s strength – everything else is a poor and short-lived imitation.
The deeper and longer-lasting joy of the Lord comes from a daily intimate and humble walk with the Lord. This deep joy is the result of:
- a clear conscience after sin has been confessed,
- loving the Lord,
- real-life obedience to the Word of God,
- a daily focus on knowing Christ better, and
- showing love and grace to others in need outside my bubble each day.
How do you get your highs? Do you need a lot of excitement to keep you going? Or, are you quietly feeding on God’s Word, worshipfully adoring Christ, and making yourself vulnerable to Him and then serving Him by serving others — are those the activities that give you the deepest and most enduring joy?
The ideal ‘music’ situation is when it overflows from a heart that has been adoring Christ. The praise inside flows out in joyful song.
In conclusion, may we know more of what the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to do:
…speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:19-21 CSB
Don’t hesitate to share a thought from your personal experience or a verse that has been a blessing to you – in the comment section below. Or, if you would like to reach out privately, click below.
