"This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
“Your project is not a fit for our needs.”
Although this is a standard rejection e-mail authors receive, this one stung a bit more than the others. I had pitched some publishers on a project that would be perfect for their company. It was not only a topic with which I had extensive experience, but a project I was passionate about. I polished my manuscript, perfected my proposal, and sent it off, with high hopes that it would certainly be a home run for any publishing company. That was, until six months later, when I received a rejection e-mail from several publishers with the above sentence.
If I'd received an email like this ten years ago, I’d have been devastated. I would have taken time off from writing. I would have questioned whether I was even fit to be a writer in the first place. I would have wondered if I would ever get published or if anyone would ever read my writing. But since I've grown during that time, instead of moping or feeling the sting of rejection, I turned it into a positive.
I thought of all the reasons why God might be sparing me from getting a project with this company. The advance may be too low, and I'd be working too hard for too little money. I envisioned that perhaps their publishing team would be too strict and their edits too much for me to handle. Above all, I went to the Lord in prayer. Instead of crying out to him and asking him why my writing was not good enough to get a publishing contract, I thanked him.
I thanked him for the goodness he has brought into my life. I told God that I trusted him with his decision. I had hoped that he was sparing me from something that would have been a detriment to my spiritual growth. I also gave him the project and told him he could do with it whatever he wanted. Although the project still sits on my desktop to this day, I have hope that God will one day use it for his glory.
Nehemiah undertook the monumental task of rebuilding the wall. After the city's gates and towns were burned and the exiled people were left vulnerable, Nehemiah took it upon himself to protect them by rebuilding the wall. After the wall was rebuilt, he read from the law of Moses. Praising God, he then led all the people who listened to his words to praise God as well. Nehemiah then gives them the above verse.
Rebuilding the wall required a significant amount of work. Nehemiah’s main motivation was his love for the people and his admiration for the Lord. He knew that it would glorify God simply by protecting the people that God loves. The only motivation he had was to please the Lord. The joy of the Lord was his strength even during all the difficult work that had to be done.
The joy of the Lord can be your strength during difficult times as well. Are you going through a difficult season where you wonder if God is even present with you? Are you unsure about what God is doing in your life? You may be asking him to complete a huge task that you feel may be quite impossible to complete.
Yet, your love for the Lord remains the catalyst for you to continue. God is pleased whenever we take a step of faith for him. Even if it doesn't work out like my book proposal did, or it takes a lot of effort and work with little return, our main motivator should always be giving the Lord joy.
In the days after receiving that rejection letter, I took joy in knowing that God was pleased simply because I had done the work, even if it came to nothing. God was glorified because he asked me to complete a task, and I did it, simply because he asked me. I love the Lord, and my motivation to keep pleasing him was the only reward I received from my labor.
Similarly, Nehemiah received no monetary reward or position for his efforts to rebuild the wall. He merely did it to praise the Lord. In so doing, he was able to lead others to praise the Lord and celebrate God's presence in their lives.
Let's pray:
Father, let us be people who work to please you. Remind us that our joy comes merely from knowing that you are pleased with our efforts. Help us not to focus on the lack of monetary reward, prestige, or position in our lives. Instead, let us focus solely on seeking your pleasure, knowing that because we have taken a step of faith and obedience, you are pleased. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Christian Lue
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalm 51: Restoring the Joy of Salvation
Can a heart stained by the worst kinds of betrayal ever truly be restored?? When the world demands justice, does God offer a different way back? In this devotional on Psalm 51, we step into the wreckage of King David’s greatest failure—the affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. We move beyond a simple apology to uncover the specific Hebrew anatomy of David's confession: Pesha (rebellion), Avon (twistedness), and Hata'ah (missing the mark). We explore the shocking reality that under Mosaic Law, David should have faced the death penalty, yet he boldly asks God to "create a way" where the law offered none. If you’ve ever felt like your mistakes have disqualified you from God’s presence, or that you are not worthy due to your past mistakes, this episode offers a roadmap from guilt to gladness. Come ready to run toward the Father who doesn't just want your perfection, but your broken and contrite heart. If this episode helped you connect with God, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Tuesday, 22 July 2025.
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