The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Nehemiah 1-4
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 9: Return: God Delivers His People Again
Background Information: Nehemiah 1-4
Originally, Ezra and Nehemiah was a single book describing the return of some of the exiles back into the land as God had promised. The unified book focused on three key people: Zerubbabel, who led the rebuilding of the temple, Ezra, who led in rebuilding covenant faithfulness, and finally Nehemiah, who led in rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem.
Nehemiah, still in exile, learns that the project to rebuild the city walls had been shut down (Ezra 4:7-23). He is shocked and saddened by this. By profession, he was a cup bearer. This meant that he was a ranking court official with close access to the king. He served the King primarily by guarding, and sometimes tasting, his wine. Nehemiah’s job may sound menial, but he was more like secret service than waiter. With many internal plots against the king, as well as external enemies, the threat of being poisoned was real. Nehemiah was highly trusted, and his job required him to put his own life on the line to protect the king. Seeing his position as God’s provision, when asked why he was so sad, he quickly prayed, then answered the king. The result was the king’s favor and support for him to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. Unlike Ezra, he took soldiers with him. His leadership skills are evident as forty sections of wall were being worked on simultaneously. The motives of the workers varied, and the opposition was fierce from the beginning. This was a very complex project, not primarily in the construction itself (it was just a wall), but in all the human elements involved. The opposition was so strong and dangerous that the workers had to build with their weapon strapped to their waist. They were literally working day and night for almost two months. They were sleeping in their clothes, unable to let down their guard for a single moment. Nehemiah was a very disciplined and skilled man. From his profession as a cup bearer to his skill in leading a construction project 900 miles from where he grew up, he was a great leader. More importantly, Nehemiah was a godly man of great faith. What set him apart was not his leadership ability, but his deep dependence on God. What do you most desire to be known for? Some talent, skill, or professional competency and accomplishment, or for your deep and authentic faith in God?
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for Christian Challenge as they meet tonight at River. Ask God to use the ministry to Challenge to strengthen the faith of students and to bring students to himself.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.