His Joy is Your Strength
By Ryan Dawson
This past Sunday, during our Prayer Summit, we were given a simple but searching question during a time of personal reflection: What is stealing your joy?
As I sat with that question before the Lord, I sensed Him gently putting His finger on a couple things in my own heart.
First, my pace in life and ministry.
There is always “the next thing” to produce — the next sermon, service, meeting, strategy, idea, or word of wisdom. Ministry can quietly become a treadmill where you are always preparing for the next moment and rarely fully living in the present one. I realized how easy it is for me to move so quickly that I struggle to rest. To simply be with Jesus. To receive His approval instead of constantly trying to earn it through productivity.
Second, disappointments.
Prayers that haven’t been answered the way I hoped. Dreams that haven’t been realized. Questions I can’t answer. Things I simply do not understand.
When I focus too much on my circumstances, I can begin to doubt the goodness of God. And when that happens, joy slowly erodes — because joy is found in His presence.
As I reflected on these things, the Lord brought Nehemiah 8:10 to my heart:
“Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
I have often read that verse as though it meant: “My joy for Jesus will be my strength.”
But this time, I sensed the Lord whispering something different to my heart:
“Ryan, it’s My joy for you and over you that is your strength.”
What a beautiful thought.
The strength we need for life is not ultimately found in how strong our feelings for God are, but in knowing how deeply He delights in us.
When we truly see His love — when we rest in His presence and remember His heart toward us — we can walk through disappointments, uncertainty, suffering, and unanswered questions with strength.
Hebrews 12 reminds us to lift our eyes again to Jesus:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.”
— Hebrews 12:1–4 (NLT)
Sequoia family, let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Not on our circumstances.
Not on our disappointments.
Not on the endless pressure to keep producing.
Let’s stay close to Jesus and learn again to live from His delight over us.
His joy for you is your strength.
Blessings, Ryan
This past Sunday, during our Prayer Summit, we were given a simple but searching question during a time of personal reflection: What is stealing your joy?
As I sat with that question before the Lord, I sensed Him gently putting His finger on a couple things in my own heart.
First, my pace in life and ministry.
There is always “the next thing” to produce — the next sermon, service, meeting, strategy, idea, or word of wisdom. Ministry can quietly become a treadmill where you are always preparing for the next moment and rarely fully living in the present one. I realized how easy it is for me to move so quickly that I struggle to rest. To simply be with Jesus. To receive His approval instead of constantly trying to earn it through productivity.
Second, disappointments.
Prayers that haven’t been answered the way I hoped. Dreams that haven’t been realized. Questions I can’t answer. Things I simply do not understand.
When I focus too much on my circumstances, I can begin to doubt the goodness of God. And when that happens, joy slowly erodes — because joy is found in His presence.
As I reflected on these things, the Lord brought Nehemiah 8:10 to my heart:
“Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
I have often read that verse as though it meant: “My joy for Jesus will be my strength.”
But this time, I sensed the Lord whispering something different to my heart:
“Ryan, it’s My joy for you and over you that is your strength.”
What a beautiful thought.
The strength we need for life is not ultimately found in how strong our feelings for God are, but in knowing how deeply He delights in us.
When we truly see His love — when we rest in His presence and remember His heart toward us — we can walk through disappointments, uncertainty, suffering, and unanswered questions with strength.
Hebrews 12 reminds us to lift our eyes again to Jesus:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.”
— Hebrews 12:1–4 (NLT)
Sequoia family, let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Not on our circumstances.
Not on our disappointments.
Not on the endless pressure to keep producing.
Let’s stay close to Jesus and learn again to live from His delight over us.
His joy for you is your strength.
Blessings, Ryan