Oct. 17, 2025

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Send me a text Joy isn’t the same as happiness. Its strength that comes straight from God. In this episode, discover how to find lasting joy even when life feels heavy, through the story and song of Annie Johnson Flint. Ever had a day when joy feels out of reach? When your body’s tired, your heart’s worn out, and smiling feels like a chore? You’re not alone. But Scripture reminds us that true joy isn’t something we manufacture; it’s something God gives when we rest in Him. In today’s devotion...

Send me a text

Joy isn’t the same as happiness. Its strength that comes straight from God. In this episode, discover how to find lasting joy even when life feels heavy, through the story and song of Annie Johnson Flint.

Ever had a day when joy feels out of reach?

When your body’s tired, your heart’s worn out, and smiling feels like a chore? You’re not alone. But Scripture reminds us that true joy isn’t something we manufacture; it’s something God gives when we rest in Him.

In today’s devotion, you’ll hear the powerful story of Annie Johnson Flint, a woman whose life was marked by pain but filled with praise. From her sickbed, she wrote the timeless hymn “He Giveth More Grace,” reminding us that when burdens grow heavier, God’s grace and His joy grow stronger still.

When life feels like too much, you can lean on the One who never runs out of strength or love.

Main Scriptures:

Nehemiah 8:10 – “And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!””

John 15:11 – “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:

The difference between joy and happiness
Why joy comes from relationship, not circumstances
How gratitude opens the door to joy that lasts

Today’s Challenge:

Take five minutes today to thank God for one way He’s met you in a hard place. Pray, “Lord, let Your joy rise in me today; not because life is easy, but because You are good.”

Need Prayer?

Send me a Text with your name, prayer request, and a way to get in touch with you: https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2511402/open_sms

Leave me a voicemail: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/voicemail/

Encouraged by today’s devotion?

Share this episode with someone who could use a little joy today.

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WEBVTT

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Her hands were twisted with arthritis, the kind of pain that wakes you up in the night and won't let go. Annie Johnson Flint couldn't do what she used to do. The future she imagined was gone. But there, on a small desk, propped up with pillows, she kept a stack of cards and a leaky fountain pen. Instead of letting bitterness take over, she started writing poems and hymns, words about grace that grows as the burdens grow, strength that meets you right where you're weak. How do you sing about joy when your body says quit?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger and I've been a pastor for over 40 years. And if you've ever had one of those weeks where your strength feels spent and your smile feels I want you to know that you're not alone. But joy, the kind the Bible talks about, isn't a surface emotion. It's a deep, steady gladness and a deep-seated joy that flows from God Himself.

00:01:14.197 --> 00:01:40.287
10, "And Nehemiah continued, Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad for the joy of the Lord is your strength." And in John 15: 11, Jesus said, "For the joy of the Lord is your strength." And in John 15: 11, Jesus said, "And pray and pray for the joy of the Lord is your

00:01:40.287 --> 00:01:56.947
11, Jesus said, "For the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah, Jesus said, "I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow." That joy isn't something we can fake or force—not real joy, anyway.

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It's something God gives when we stay close to Him. The people Nehemiah spoke to had just heard the law of God, and they realized how far they had fallen short. They were heartbroken, but Nehemiah told them not to despair. Why was that? Because joy wasn't about their performance. It was about God's faithfulness. Jesus said the same thing centuries later. He said, "My joy will be in you." It's not circumstantial. It's relational. When we rest in who God is—not in what we've lost, not in how we feel and not in what's uncertain— joy begins to rise again. It may not erase the hardship, but I believe it can redefine it. Joy says, "I can keep going, not because life is easy, but because God is here with me." And that's the secret Annie Johnson Flint learned.

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Annie let Christ's joy settle into her pain, and line by line, she shared it with the world.

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From that background of suffering, she wrote the hymn,"He Giveth More Grace." Here are some of the words. I want you to really listen. This is what she wrote. "He Giveth More Grace""He Giveth More Grace" When the burdens grow greater. He sendeth More Strength, when the labors increase. To added affliction, he addeth his mercy. To multiplied trials, his multiplied peace.

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His power has no boundary known unto men; for out of his infinite riches in Jesus, he giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. And he giveth again. That hymn, born from a sickbed, has carried countless people through their own dark nights. Annie didn't deny her pain. She discovered a deeper gladness in God that outshone it. If your joy feels thin today, bring your ache to Jesus. Bring your sorrow, bring your pain, and let his joy become your strength. Now here's your challenge for today. Take five minutes today and stop and remember something God has done for you. Something only he could have done. Then thank him out loud for it. Joy begins where gratitude takes root. Lord, thank you that your joy isn't fragile. It's for ever. When our life hurts and strength runs low, help me to rest in you. Teach me to find joy in your presence, not in my circumstances. Let your joy be my strength today.

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In Jesus' name, amen. Are you going through a difficult time right now? You wish you could find joy in the pain or the sorrow? I'd love to pray for you.

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Simply click on send me a text in the show notes and let me know your name, along with your prayer request and a way to get in touch with you, and I'll join with you in prayer. Or you can go to www.

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dailydevotionsforbusylives.com and click on the microphone in the bottom corner and send me a voicemail. Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, the joy of the Lord isn't found in the absence of trouble, but in the presence of Christ. Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless, and have a great day.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

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