Protect your joy

Because joy has withered away from the sons of men… (Joel 1 12)

      Joel chapter one is painting a depressing picture of a nation that had lost everything. Their crop had been attacked from so many different sources, till the point that they had lost it all. V 10 says “ The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the olive oil fails.” He then goes on to say that ALL the trees of the field are dried up. What had caused this tragedy? How could all this happen? In v 12 he says; “because JOY has withered away from the sons of men….”  Whether the lack of joy was the cause of it, or the result of it can be debated of course. However the truth still is that the Joy of the Lord is our strength.
I believe that the enemy is trying all he can to steal and destroy our joy. Don’t let anything steal your joy. Don’t let anything stop your worship and song. If you loose your joy, you will loose your strength, and then you will be an easy target for the enemy. Even if I find myself in the darkest situation, like Paul and Silas, still I will sing, and nothing shall steal my joy!