April 26 - Nehemiah 1-3
Nehemiah has always been a very inspirational book for me with many practical lessons. It is so relevant to the situation in a local church, where there is the need for a unified effort to accomplish the Lord's will. I pray that God will speak to you directly through this short book.
Nehemiah had a very strong prayer life. Here we see an in-depth prayer and a short prayer. In chapter one Nehemiah prays for his people because of their distress and their reproach. The people who had returned from the exile were living in Jerusalem, but the Temple was not built yet, and the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins. They had poor living conditions, and the people around them laughed at them because of their helpless state. Even though Nehemiah lived in the king's house, he took the situation of his people personally. He confessed the sins of the people and asked for God to restore them using the word "we" instead of "they." He identified with them, and he took part of the responsibility of the sin since he was an Israelite. When you pray about the sins of America, do you say "we", or do you say "they?" I believe the Bible is showing us through Nehemiah, Ezra, and Daniel that we should use "we." We must see the seriousness of sin and the reproach it brings on our nation, and we must take it personally. Then, when Nehemiah was before the king, and the king asked him about his sadness, Nehemiah said a quick prayer. He just breathed a prayer of dependence to God, because he needed God's boldness and wisdom. This shows the strength of his prayer life, too. It shows that prayer was so natural to Nehemiah that he would pray at any time to express his need to the Lord. We should talk to God without ceasing all day long. That is the real essence of praying. It should be constant communication with the Lord.
When Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, he surveyed the damage done to the walls, so he would know the facts. Then, he rallied the people to do the work. They followed his leadership and worked by family groups to rebuild the walls. In many cases they even worked on the part of the wall closest to their own homes. This organization brought about good results. People were working with their families whom they knew well, and they were working in a place where they had an interest in the work being done in a quality way. If you were building the wall near your own home, would you not want to make it as strong as possible? This pertains to the ministry teams in a church. If the leader will select a group of people who care about each other and who have a heart's desire to do the work well, then much can be done. It also shows that there is something for each person to do. No one is to be left out of the work of the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 4-7.
Nehemiah had a very strong prayer life. Here we see an in-depth prayer and a short prayer. In chapter one Nehemiah prays for his people because of their distress and their reproach. The people who had returned from the exile were living in Jerusalem, but the Temple was not built yet, and the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins. They had poor living conditions, and the people around them laughed at them because of their helpless state. Even though Nehemiah lived in the king's house, he took the situation of his people personally. He confessed the sins of the people and asked for God to restore them using the word "we" instead of "they." He identified with them, and he took part of the responsibility of the sin since he was an Israelite. When you pray about the sins of America, do you say "we", or do you say "they?" I believe the Bible is showing us through Nehemiah, Ezra, and Daniel that we should use "we." We must see the seriousness of sin and the reproach it brings on our nation, and we must take it personally. Then, when Nehemiah was before the king, and the king asked him about his sadness, Nehemiah said a quick prayer. He just breathed a prayer of dependence to God, because he needed God's boldness and wisdom. This shows the strength of his prayer life, too. It shows that prayer was so natural to Nehemiah that he would pray at any time to express his need to the Lord. We should talk to God without ceasing all day long. That is the real essence of praying. It should be constant communication with the Lord.
When Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, he surveyed the damage done to the walls, so he would know the facts. Then, he rallied the people to do the work. They followed his leadership and worked by family groups to rebuild the walls. In many cases they even worked on the part of the wall closest to their own homes. This organization brought about good results. People were working with their families whom they knew well, and they were working in a place where they had an interest in the work being done in a quality way. If you were building the wall near your own home, would you not want to make it as strong as possible? This pertains to the ministry teams in a church. If the leader will select a group of people who care about each other and who have a heart's desire to do the work well, then much can be done. It also shows that there is something for each person to do. No one is to be left out of the work of the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 4-7.