Friends,
I missed you all last weekend for Rally Point but I had SUCH a wonderful weekend with Chris' family. We were able to visit his sister's church for the first time in a year and the message was so timely for me. I want to share it with you here... First of all, Nehemiah is a book that God brought me to at a very sad time when I was in college. So I've always considered it to be something that's "ours" (mine and His). On Sunday, we attended Cross Church in Fayetteville - I must say if you're ever in Fayetteville on a Sunday morning, you definitely want to experience Cross Church!!
OK here's the lesson, in a nutshell:
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Nehemiah was an Israelite, living in Persia after the Israelites were scattered from their land. He was a cupbearer to the Persian King. He received devastating news that the walls of his homeland, Jerusalem, had been broken down and the gates had been burned.
What did Nehemiah do when he received this tragic news? Did he call his friends and moan? Did he gather around others who would commiserate with him? Did he plan a revolution? NO His response was to immediately sit down, weep, mourn, fast and pray to God for " some days".
Nehemiah knew that whatever situation he faced, God was the solution! The pastor asked these questions:
Are you now facing tragic, devastating news?
Or is God asking you to do something that is uncomfortable?
I personally am facing question #2 in a few areas of my life! you may be facing question #1. Either way, the lesson that follows applies :)
Then Nehemiah addressed God in this manner:
1) He declared the sovereignty and control of the Lord ("Oh Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God...")
2) He remembered God's faithfulness to keep His promises ("...who keeps his covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands...")
3) He implored God to listen ("...let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night...")
4) He took personal and national responsibility for the sins of the people and remembered that God is forgiving ("...I confess the sins we Israelites, INCLUDING MYSELF AND MY FATHER'S HOUSE, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses...")
5) He reminded God of his promises and he was able to put his faith and trust IN God's promises ("...Remember your instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying "if you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the nations, 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...")
6) He continued reminding God of His promises - I'm placing emphasis on the pronouns b/c the pastor did too and it was powerful! (..."They are YOUR servants and YOUR people, whom YOU redeemed by YOUR great strength and YOUR mighty hand...")
7) He asked God for favor ("...Oh Lord let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man...")
I was highly challenged. I'm going to sit on this for the week and really try to apply this prayer to my life. I am going to sit before the Lord. I am going to remind myself of the things He's asked me to do that I haven't been obedient with yet. I'm going to declare His sovereignty - really let it sink in. I'm going to remember His faithfulness. I'm going to ask Him to listen to my prayers. I'm going to confess my sin and any collective sins He exposes. I'm going to remind God (and myself :) ) of His promises. And I'm going to ask God for favor as I REVERE HIM (delight in fearing Him, respond in awe of Him) and OBEY HIM.
And when I receive tragic news, I'm going to come back to this and practice responding in the right way, again. I encourage you to do the same!
No comments:
Post a Comment