Wednesday 26 Aug 2020

August 26: Nehemiah 1:1-4
 
Key Verse: Nehemiah 1:4
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
 
Devotion:
I must admit to taking the idea of the next few devotions from talks the Rt Rev Jill Duff held on the United Breaks Out sessions this year for New Wine. This is something which has been playing on my heart for a while and has roots back to over a decade ago when Pastor Frank Thompson talked about Nehemiah’s mission.
 
The background is a country which has been devastated by the Babylonians and others and now is in a state of disorder and despair. Certain ruling parties wanted to be in control but were clearly not doing a particularly good job of things. Nehemiah was one of the cupbearers to king Artaxerxes I, a position where he would potentially be in a life-or-death situation with every meal! But God was able to do amazing things through him in his current predicament.
 
Nehemiah was distressed by what he heard of the people back home and the king noticed. Normally you would think the king would demand Nehemiah be taken away because of his attitude, but God changed the king's heart and allowed him to be moved by what Nehemiah told him. This is the king who had taken Jews as slaves and yet God softened his heart to want to do something for the Jews!
 
When we say God can do anything, we don’t always think of situations like this where God is using the enemy to bring about a change for the good! But when we show God we really do care and we really want change; He is going to make it happen one way or another! It is words like these which inspire me to move forward and do something in a community which is going to make a difference! One which would normally fill me with fear, but one I know God is behind.
 
Points to Ponder:
How often do you impose restrictions on what God will do?
 
Will you stop and listen to find out what God wants you to do?