I can't believe its taken so long to get this third blog posted! We have been traveling with Aaron and life has been a bit crazy! The boys have all passed around a fever virus so most of my time the past few days has been nursing everyone back to health. So, i thought i had already posted my thoughts on the end of chapter one, but i had not so i hope these last verses encourage you. I am really excited about chapter 2 and look forward to sharing my thoughts on that in a few days! Thank you again for your encouragement! I do pray that you receive insight and encouragement as you read this today!
Previously, in Nehemiah 1:1-6, we looked at how Nehemiah wept and fasted and mourned for days but then he turned to the Lord with praise and adoration. We looked at how we need to be broken for the things/people that concern the Father! We also need to confess our sins and speak Truth back to the Father so the enemy does not get a strong hold in our lives. Today lets finish looking at chapter one.
Nehemiah 1:7-11
7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.8 "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'
Nehemiah refers to the commands, decrees, and laws that were given to Moses. Obviously, he knows the words that the Lord had previously spoken. We have The Bible, the precious word of God, that we have free access to, but how much time do we spend reading it and meditating on it? Do you know the Word? What treasures are hidden in His word that He wants you to discover? How can you consistently spend time reading scripture and listening to the Holy Spirit?
Holy Spirit guide us today in your Word. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your Truth and insight for us today.
11"O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man " Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
I love that Nehemiah is bold in his prayers. When he says, "i beseech You" he is asking urgently and fervently. The dictionary says to beseech also means to implore or entreat. Can't you hear him crying out to the Father with such passion and purity!
This is the second time in this chapter he says, “may your ear be attentive”. He is saying, Listen! Listen! He is just making sure Holy Spirit is hearing his prayers. I think this delights the Lord when we come before him with this longing and urgency.
He then says, “make your servant successful today and grant him compassion” This is another bold prayer that we should pray. I think early in my relationship with Jesus i felt too guilty to pray like this because i believed it was selfish. Have you felt that way before? However, the more i understand the Father's heart and his desire to bless his children this prayer becomes easier to pray. I want to bless my children, don't you? Read Matthew 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
Lord give us compassion and success today! Help us to be attentive to your voice and your guidance! Give us courage to pray bold prayers today!
1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
Nehemiah 1:3 "They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
ReplyDeleteNote the gates were burned with fire. Earlier this week, as I was praying to God about Atlanta, asking him to show me his dreams for the city, I was drawn to reread Nehemiah 1 and the phrase, "Burned with fire" caught my eye. Atlanta, crossroads to the south, was burned to the ground by Sherman during the Civil War. I was recently reading about the Atlanta History Center, which is hosting an exhibit of Lincoln artifacts. One passage in the promotional article actually said that if Sherman had not won Atlanta for Lincoln, the north would most likely have lost the war. In order for our country to be whole and everyone to enjoy freedom, Atlanta had to be broken/burned. Atlanta has since had a turbulent history that we all know. BUT now, we see our brothers and sisters in the body flocking to Atlanta! Passion City Church, Bethel Church, Midtown Church, Buckhead Church.....the list goes on. God is bringing his faithful to Atlanta in droves!
Nehemiah 1:9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name"
It seems to me that He's calling us to rebuild the walls of Atlanta! See this website about the Beltline which will encircle all of Atlanta. www.beltline.org. It's mission? "At the heart of the Atlanta BeltLine is an integrated approach to land use, transportation, greenspace and sustainable development that will create a framework for future growth in the City of Atlanta. During the past 20 years, metro Atlanta’s growth has occurred in widely spread and disconnected pockets of development which have strained the region’s quality of life and economic growth. By attracting and organizing some of the region’s future growth around parks, transit, and trails, the BeltLine will help change the pattern of regional sprawl in the coming decades and lead to a vibrant and livable Atlanta with an enhanced quality of life." A major focus is encouraging business and residential development in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Atlanta, neighborhoods that have been in decline since the 60's.
How blessed I feel to be living in Atlanta in this time and place.
Sweet Megan, my first daughter-in-love, and now my dear friend. You continually amaze me by your love for Jesus! Thank you for carving time out of a crazy schedule to share what God is teaching you. Thank you for reminding me that He has a good plan for my life, that He is my strength, and that my joy comes from Him, not my circumstances. Thank you for sharing His Truth with me and never making me feel condemned or guilty. Your love for Him is attractive and contagious! I will remind Aaron again just how grateful he should be for you! I love you and look forward to spending more time with you and the family very soon!:):):)Becky
ReplyDelete