From the archives of Evelyn Roberts – Fourth of four parts
About six weeks after our eldest child, Rebecca, was killed in an airplane crash, I began to get sick. I felt totally without energy, and Oral said, “Go to the doctor and see what’s wrong.” The doctor said, “You’ve been through a traumatic time and your body needs rest to build itself back up.” I knew, however, that something was wrong. I was down in my spirit, not just in my body.
That night I opened my Bible to where I had been reading for several days, and I came to Nehemiah 8:10, which says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
I thought, “What is it that gives me the joy of the Lord?” And I remembered that in the past, Christian music had always lifted me up and helped me to feel strong in my spirit. In fact, I nearly always had on a Christian radio station or praise tapes as I worked around the house. And then I realized that I hadn’t listened to any music at all since Rebecca died. I hadn’t wanted to hear praise music … I hadn’t felt like praising God … and in turning off praise, I had turned off the joy of the Lord. In turning off the joy of the Lord, I had turned off my strength!
Are you feeling down today―out of strength either physically or spiritually? Are you truly experiencing the joy of the Lord in your life? If not, ask yourself today, “What is it that causes me to experience the Joy of the Lord?” Is it praise music? If so, turn on the praise music! Is it talking about the Lord with your friends? If so, invite your friends over for a conversation about the Lord! Is it going to a service where the people really know how to praise and worship the Lord? Then, go to such a service as soon as you can and as often as you can. Don’t let the devil rob you of your joy and cause you to become too weak to enter the great open door of opportunities the Lord has put before you.
