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Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10, ESV

The Jewish people were confronted with their sins as they heard the Law of the Lord read before them, as they were rebuilding the holy city of Jerusalem after their return from exile, and they began to weep. These words of Nehemiah are for all of us as we are confronted with our failures. God wants us to know His joy and to celebrate His forgiveness for us. When we acknowledge and confess our sins, God forgives us and sets us free from that bondage. We no longer need to carry the burden of our sins but walk in the joy of our Lord’s redemption. There is no work we must do in order to make things right, but our Lord desires to accept His work for us on the cross. For the Jews, that work was done through sacrifice, but for us, who believe and follow our Lord Jesus Christ, the work of the sacrifice has been completed by Him once and for all. There are no required works, but the giving of a penitent heart and the reception of His promised forgiveness. As we receive our Lord’s forgiveness, we walk as those redeemed. In our redemption, we can know the joy and trust in the peace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.