Nehemiah 7-8

"Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (8:10). When Ezra the priest read the Law, the people wept (v9). They realized how far they had fallen from God's plan. They were Abraham's descendents, bound to God by a holy covenant. They mourned for all that had been lost by sin. But Nehemiah told them: "eat of the fat, drink of the sweet," and celebrate the new beginning.

God does not hold the past against us. After we repent, He calls us to celebrate - all His promises are "yes" in Christ (II Cor 1:20).