Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” —Nehemiah 8:10
Joy. We need to approach praying for others with the joyful awareness of the privilege we have been given. Even if you aren’t emotionally up, you need to draw on the waters of joy that reside within you. You might do this by meditating and focusing upon the fact that you are a Christian, a temple of the Holy Spirit, forgiven of your sins, destined for heaven, useful to God, the recipient of many blessings, and so on. In other words, try to back up and get the big picture of who you are in Christ and who He is in Himself. Then we are able to put our personal pressures temporarily behind us and focus on the needs of the one before us. If you are still unable to draw such joy forth, then confess your weakness to the Lord and ask Him to graciously compensate for it on that occasion and pray about it later.
{ PRAYER STARTER }
I want Your joy, dear Spirit. Flood over my soul with inexplicable joy that radiates from my life to others.
Seek to let His joy show through your
eyes and on your countenance.
