My favorite bible verse is in Nehemiah 8:10. It says,
Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fatty rich foods, drink the sweet drinks, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared: for [this] day [is] holy to our Lord: do not be unhappy; for the joy of the LORD [Yahweh] is your stronghold of protection. [GBMV]
Most translations will say “ The joy of the Lord is your strength”. But what this verse actually is saying is that it will protect you like a stronghold.
What is a stronghold?
It may be hard to picture a stronghold, because we don’t usually use strongholds anymore today like they did in the old days.
A stronghold was like a big castle that you could hide in, it had really big thick walls for protection. And basically you would just hide inside of it, so that the enemy could not kill you.
The scripture tells us that He is our stronghold when we are in trouble.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD [Yahweh] [is] good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows them that trust in him. [GBMV]
It also speaks of the strong tower,
Psalms 61:3 For you have been a shelter for me, [and] a strong tower from the enemy. [GBMV]
Well, if God is meant to be like a stronghold or tower of protection, as these scriptures say, then that means we need to hide in Him for protection. What happens when you hide? You wait and you don’t do anything.
I don’t know about you, but I feel bad not doing anything. I would always interpret these scriptures to mean that God will make me strong so I can go fight the battle. That it is up to me to fight the battle God has given me.
Is that not what everyone tells you? God has given you a battle to win and the harder your battle the stronger He must think you are. So you fight and struggle, thinking you must win the battle.
But the scripture says:
Exodus 14:14 The LORD [Yahweh] will fight for you, and you will hold your peace. [GBMV]
Yes, you do have a part to play. And sometimes you do need to fight and keep going. But at the end of the day, the outcome of the battle depends on the Lord and not on you.
Sometimes, all that God wants you to do is to stay in that stronghold of protection and watch the battle unfold. Sometimes while you are in the middle of the battle, the Lord will tell you to come and rest a while. And let Him cover you in His stronghold of protection.
In fact, that scripture on joy even speaks about enjoying nice food and drinks. You should be so at peace that you just rest and enjoy a good meal.
Just step back a bit and let Him protect you and lift you up. Being His child means that you should be walking in peace. Rest now and know that He will never let you down.
Then after you have rested a while you can get back to the fight. But this time you will find that He has already won the battle for you.
