It’s a new day. No matter where you are and no matter what trials you might be facing, God is still on the throne, and He has already won us the victory. This is a declaration of truth that we all need to hear. We must allow this truth to penetrate to our core, driving out the seeds of doubt and victimhood that are attempting to take root. No matter the weather catastrophes and how and why they came to be, no matter the unimaginable loss that is left in the wake of the evil of recent events – we serve a great and mighty God!
I recently posted on social media that I was feeling a heaviness. No matter the outlet reporting the news – biased or unbiased – no matter the social media platform, we are running the risk of overload. And that overload can quickly morph into a heavy burden that we were never meant to carry.
Technology is wonderful. The advancement of technology has opened so many doors and saved so many lives. But it is also killing us. Our phones have become an extension of our arms – always in our hands or within reach. If it’s not a phone, it’s a watch-like device that records our steps and sleep-cycles and allows us to check messages without having our phone in hand. Most of us are never disconnected! We never hear the sound of silence, our eyes are always exposed to a screen, and we are just a screen-tap away from contacting the outside world.
Devices have become the norm – if there is any time we have to spare, we look at a device. We might utilize these devices for research, grocery shopping, or education, but these devices easily suck us in to playing games, watching mindless videos, and filling the voids with news from all over the globe. Did you miss watching the big game? No worries! You can watch the highlights on YouTube. We can even stream shows and movies! Remember having to wait a full week to catch the next episode of your favorite show? Now we can just sit back and binge-watch the entire season!
This constant connection to technology has disconnected us from other things. Our faith, our family, and our community all suffer from being too connected to the wrong things. When those connections suffer, the heaviness has a place to land and settle in.
As many of you know, I live in North Carolina. Our state has suffered a huge blow that came in the form of a hurricane. This storm did not come to my area on the east coast, but instead it settled for about 7 hours over the already water-saturated mountains on the western side of the state. This storm also caused great devastation to the east Tennessee area. Devastation does not seem to be adequate in describing what is left of those communities – some have nothing left. The heaviness edges in.
We become inundated with reports that bring out tears of empathy – a shared sorrow. But it’s like a train wreck that we just can’t take our eyes off of. Some of us kick it into gear and start sending supplies to help sustain and bring about a smidgeon of restoration – but it’s everywhere we look. It’s too big and we’re too small. Every screen that we lock our eyes on, we see destruction, death, and loss. Throw in the reports that shine a light on government negligence and fear grows while hope fades. The heaviness is finding some rich soil.
As I’ve been battling this heaviness over the past week, a verse from Nehemiah kept coming to mind. Well, to be perfectly honest, it was only a part of the verse, and it was running through my mind on repeat in the form of a song (included at the end of this post).
Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 NASB
I kept finding myself humming along to the words in my head the joy… the joy… the joy of the Lord is my strength… Over and over. I finally decided to look it up and decided to dig in a little. I figured that God had laid it on my heart – planted it in the soil so to speak – so He would show me something I needed to see. Well, I wasn’t wrong.
The part that tells us to not be grieved really stood out to me, so I started digging there. The word grieved comes from the Hebrew word (Strong’s H6087) atsab and has two different meanings. The first deals with physical & emotional pain (or a combination of the two). I completely see that. Both of those pains can cause grief. The second meaning is fabricating or creating. What? Fabricating or creating?
As I kept circling this through my mind while humming the one single line in my head (it sounds really good in my head, by the way) I realized that the connection is not really that hard to find. When I first read the word fabricating I thought of telling stories. The word fabricate literally means to skillfully produce or manufacture. Well, I know a certain someone who can skillfully manufacture feelings of fear, despair, and hopelessness… and those are so very heavy.
Do not be grieved… God showed me that this grief we feel in the aftermath of destruction is only compounded when we allow the enemy to weave in layers and layers of hopelessness. We pick up the phone and watch the short clips of reports – true or not – of isolation and government help not coming. We turn on the news and hear about the evil in Hollywood. Prices are going up, paychecks and salaries are staying the same, and our country is busy supporting other countries and illegal immigrants instead of taking care of our own. It’s heavy all right.
The joy of the Lord is your strength… This joy is not in our circumstances. The joy of the Lord is knowing and trusting that He is walking with us in the valleys. He has a hold of our hand, and He will never let us go. This joy is knowing that our inheritance is secure, we have a hope and a future, and He is where we will find peace.
No matter who the elected government officials are, no matter what disaster we’re facing or recovering from, and no matter how much our money is worth – the joy of the Lord is our strength. That word, strength, means rock, fortress, fortified place, stronghold, and our means to prevail (Strong’s H4581 & H5810). All I can picture is an impenetrable fortress that is full of the riches of Heaven.
And it’s for all who call on the name of the Lord. That certainly helps with the heavy load.
Thank you, Abba, that You see me, that You keep me, and that You sustain me. I pray that all who are under the weight of a heavy load would breathe in Your peace, Your strength, and Your wisdom. Guard our hearts as we face the hard that the enemy is trying to use against us – and bring it all around for Your glory. Thank you for loving us. Amen.
For anyone who is wanting to donate to help the communities in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and Florida (the hardest hit states), those communities are requesting that you donate to either Samaritan’s Purse or to local churches.