The Israelites were home. Their long Babylonian exile was over. They were back in Jerusalem. They had a new temple.

But they had troubles.

They had neighbors who were less than pleased to have the Jews back in their homeland, The Jews were under threat from those around them (sound familiar)?

They needed protection.

They needed a wall around the city to keep the unhappy nations around them at bay.

Enter Nehemiah, upright cupbearer of the Persian king Artaxerxes, who allows him to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls.

Which they did.

In 52 days.

After the work was complete, a celebratory festival was held. As part of this, Ezra gathered the Israelites around and read to them the Law.

They were convicted of their sin. They were saddened by the realization of how far they had fallen from God.

They repented. And they were reminded by Nehemiah: do not grieve: for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

I can only imagine these people were carrying a heavy load. Overthrown and subjugated by the Babylonians. Shell shocked to return to their ruined home city. Far from the LORD. Fearful. Exhausted . Depleted.

Have you ever experienced feeling ground down to practically nothing by the hardships of life? There is an answer.

Trust God.

Don’t trust in your ability. Don’t trust in others to set things straight.

Trust in the Lord. Give all your worries, all your fears, all your anxieties, all your cares to Him. All these things do is weigh us down, clog our abilities, sap us of our strength.

But when we throw off all those cares and place our faith wholly and entirely on the LORD, we find peace.

We find hope.

We find joy. And, in that joy, we find strength through Jesus Christ. It’s why Paul was able to write:

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 (ESV)

It’s time. Now.

Right now.

It’s time to cast off our heavy load of burden and sin and shame, giving it all to God. Seek Him first overall. Seek His forgiveness, His light, His will. Embrace Him wholeheartedly and trust God to take care of you.

Find His joy and, through the peace and calm our Father brings when we embrace Him confidently, we will discover the strength – His strength – to get you through everything in life.