Corona Devo 1142

What has God put on our heart today?  

What cause/effort/person/people/call/prayer has God stuck in us, like a thorn that hurts and needs tended to?

How can we assist/play-our-part/step-up in serving our Lord and in repairing His Church/His people/His cities and His walls today?

~~~

Nehemiah was a normal guy with the not-so-glamorous job of being cupbearer during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (Nehemiah 2:1).  "Cupbearer" meant that Nehemiah would sample beverages before the king, and if they were poisonous, Nehemiah would die first, instead of the king.  

Not a very highly-sought-after position, but Nehemiah literally did it every day with a smile on his face. 

But one day, Nehemiah got some news that wiped the smile off of his face.  He knew that the Israelites had returned to Jerusalem after exile, and that they were working to rebuild the city and God's Temple.  But what he didn't know was that there were hardships happening.

Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem.  

(3) They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”  ~Nehemiah 1:1-3

~~~

The news struck Nehemiah hard--Jerusalem needed her wall for protection, security, and stability, and Nehemiah knew he must do something about it.

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 

(5)Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, (6) listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel... 

(11) O Lord, please hear my prayer!...Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”  ~Nehemiah 1:1-11  ~Nehemiah 1:4-6

What has God put on our heart today?  

What cause/effort/person/people/call/prayer has God stuck in us, like a thorn that hurts and needs tended to?

How can we assist/play-our-part/step-up in serving our Lord and in repairing His Church/His people/His cities and His walls today?

~~~

It took some time: late autumn (Nehemiah 1:1) to early spring (Nehemiah 2:1), but Nehemiah had asked God for favor from the king and (whether he was ready or not!), Nehemiah's big moment had arrived.

Early the following spring...I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. (2) So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.”  

Then I was terrified, (3) but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”  

(4) The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”  

With a prayer to the God of heaven, (5) I replied, “If it pleases the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”  

(6) The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.  ~Nehemiah 2:1-6

Did we CATCH what God DID there?  

Nehemiah loved God and he was so broken at the break-in-progress because of Jerusalem's broken wall, that he cried out in prayer to God and devoted himself to His service. And then Nehemiah asked the king if he could leave his job to go rebuild the wall!

Straight up--Nehemiah, a runt in the litter of the king's servants and staff--asked for time off to go and work for the Lord.  Talk about gutsy!  The king could have EASILY had him killed for such a request. 

But, Nehemiah had prayed to God for this moment with the king: "Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me”  (Nehemiah 1:11).

And the king was kind.

The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?”  ~Nehemiah 1:6

~~~

Nehemiah is our prototype for today.

~~~

Get close to God.  Read His Word (the Bible).  Accept His Truth.  Own it.  Live it.  And may we be called into duty for His causes in the process.

Let God break our hearts for His causes.  

If we will get close enough to our Father--then His areas and people that are in ruins will ruin us, and will cause us to become active for Him.  

What (in God's Name) ruins us (levels us/breaks-our-heart)?

• Is it popular "truths" and choices that contradict God's Truth but that are being normalized and pressed into our youth?  Then attend a school board meeting, get involved with your church youth group, coach a local team or actually listen and invest in young people that you come in contact with.  Invest in the "wall" around us that is crumbling.  

• Is it a global Goliath with anonymous faces but dehumanizing practices, like the rampant sex trade?  Become informed, support those fighting the fight, and pray.  (Might I suggest https://remembernhu.org/ )

• Is it addicts, co-dependents, orphans, the elderly, teaching, preaching, discipling or mentoring?  Invest in the thorn in your side that hurts and needs tended to. 

Maybe we can't change the whole world, but who/what can we rebuild in God's Name today?

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com