The Joy of the Lord is my Strength...strength??? joy is strength????

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

We understand joy in the our lives by happiness, being giddy, or extremely cheerful.  Is this the joy spoken of in Nehemiah 8:10 above?  How would this explain joy being our strength?  What is God's joy?  How do we get it?

After doing a word study on the many, many verses in God's Word that talk about 'joy', I have come to the following conclusion.  (There are too many verses to write here, but I encourage you to read scriptures that talk about joy for yourself.)

Joy is the surety of knowing that in Him mountains move in our situations.  In the POWER of His name, sickness and disease has no hold on us, and healing is ours.  Salvation is ours, because He paid the price for us!  Our lives are not trouble free, yet His joy is in the abundant and eternal life He has provided for us.  Our strength comes in knowing and living this reality in our lives everyday.

"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with you in the presence of the Lord."  Acts 2:28

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord even the demons submit to us in your name."  Luke 10:17

Tap into His joy today! How???  Psalm 100

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."