Nehemiah 8:10b - The Joy of the Lord is your Strength.

Neh.8:10b; The Joy of the Lord is your Strength. 

Neh 8:10b (NIV) Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your 
strength. 

After hearing the Book of the Law, the Israelites wept because 
they realized how far they had strayed from God. Instead of 
chastising them further, Nehemiah gave them hope. This was not a sad day; 
this was a holy day to celebrate. God was working in their hearts. 
"Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" 
 
We can learn a few important lessons from this Old Testament 
scene: (1) God's Word is powerful and helps us see ourselves as we 
really are--sinners who need to turn from our sin back to God. (2) 
Seeing ourselves as we really are is pretty depressing at times. We 
often can feel like failures. No joy there. (3) God never leaves us in 
our guilt and shame! Once we have turned back to him, he forgives 
and restores our relationship with him.  
God's love and forgiveness are great cause for joy. At times in 
your Christian life, you will stray from God. During those times, 
turn to the Lord and tell him you're sorry. Then wipe your eyes and 
be joyful. God has work for you to do! The joy of the Lord is your 
strength! [The One Year Bible for New Believers re Neh. 8:9-11] 

The powerful exposition of the Word of God can bring deep 
conviction of sin. But repentance must not degenerate into a self-centered 
remorse but must issue into joy in God's forgiving goodness (cf. 2 Cor 
2:5-11). [Expositors Bible Commentary] 

The greenest grass is found wherever the most rain falls. So I 
suppose it is the fog and mist of Ireland that makes it "the Emerald 
Isle." And wherever you find the widespread fog of trouble and the mist 
of sorrow, you always find emerald green hearts that are full of 
the beautiful foliage of the comfort and love of God. 
Dear Christian, do not say, "Where are all the swallows? They 
are all gone-they are dead." No, they are not dead. They have simply 
skimmed across the deep, blue sea, flying to a faraway land; but they 
will be back again soon. 
Child of God, do not say, "All the flowers are dead-the winter 
has killed them, so they are gone." No! Although the winter has 
covered them with a white coat of snow, they will push up their heads 
again and will be alive very soon. 
O believer, do not say that the sun has burned out, just because 
a cloud has hidden it. No, it is still there, planning a summer 
for you; for when it shines again, it will have caused those clouds 
to have dropped their April showers, each of them a mother to a 
sweet mayflower. 
Above all, remember-when God hides His face from you, do not say 
that He has forgotten you. He is simply waiting for a little while to 
make you love Him more. And once He comes, you will rejoice with the 
inexpressible "joy of the Lord" (Neh. 8:10). Waiting on Him exercises your 
gift of grace and tests your faith. Therefore continue to wait in 
hope, for although the promise may linger, it will never come too 
late. Charles H. Spurgeon [Streams In The Desert By Cowman] 

The joy of the Lord is the joy that springs up in our hearts 
because of our relationship to the Lord. It is a God-given gladness 
found when we are in communion with God. When our goal is to know more 
about the Lord, the byproduct is His joy. [Nelson SB]