Tell Your Face

Now I had never been downcast before. So the king said, ‘Why is your face so sad? You are not sick, surely? This must be a sadness of the heart.’
Neh.2:1,2

Nehemiah is a captive in a strange land and servant to the king of that land.  Word has reached him of the dilapidated state of Jerusalem and it causes him a deep sadness.  The king quickly perceives that Nehemiah's sadness is not physical but spiritual.  It is a sadness of the heart.

The book of Nehemiah is a great story of courageous leadership that eventually ends with the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.  It is interesting that such a great event starts with one man perceiving from another man's face a "sadness of the heart". The baring of a person says much about the state of his spirit.   I remember a saying that goes, "If you have the joy of the Lord, please tell your face about it". A gloomy Christian is an oxymoron.  Today I remind myself that I do have the joy of the Lord which is my strength.  The next step is to tell my face about it.


Dear Jesus, You are the source of great joy for me, no matter what else is happening in my life.  Fill me with Your spirit of Joy that I may let it shine in a world hungry for the joy You bring.
Little Flower, please pray for me.