Nehemiah 13:14, 22, 29, 31
As Thanksgiving approaches, I’ve noticed news outlets, social media posts, and radio announcers remind us that the season to be filled with gratitude, remembrance, and thankfulness is upon us. It‘s funny that we must be reminded to be filled with or demonstrate those traits. The first item of gratitude that comes to my mind is that God is constant, unchanging, and unwavering. His steadfast love is unending. Admittedly, though, my prayer life doesn’t resemble any of those traits most of the time. Reading through Nehemiah, I am encouraged to see that Nehemiah was a man of constant prayer. No matter what he was going through, he prayed, as evidenced in the fourteen recorded prayers throughout the book. Before he set out on the rebuilding project, Nehemiah prayed. When he approached the king, he prayed. When he was in trouble, he prayed. In chapter 13 alone, there are four prayers, and that is where we are going to camp today.
In verse 14, Nehemiah discovers that the Levites were not being paid, and their temple duties were neglected, so they worked in the farm fields to survive. Nehemiah’s prayer is a plea for God to remember his efforts to correct this and restore the proper functioning of the temple. “Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.”
What a beautiful reminder of the importance of seeking and trusting in God's grace, mercy, and compassion, especially in times of need. In verse 22, Nehemiah demonstrates his commitment to his role as a leader who humbly held people accountable. “Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.”
Nehemiah makes a call for holiness in verse 29, “Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.” This appeal to God by Nehemiah is bold, as he asks God to judge those who lacked integrity and broke the covenant.
A final prayer to God was from the heart of a true leader. Nehemiah entrusts his work and the opposition he faced to God. Verse 31 “I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, my God.”
Over and over again, we see Nehemiah praying for himself and others. He prayed that others would do right, but they didn’t, and as Pastor John reminded us, “All he could do was to point them in the right direction, and the rest was up to them. On multiple occasions, after he challenged their behavior and gave them instructions, he prayed to God for favor and justice. It’s almost as if he was telling God that there was nothing more that he could do, and in essence, he wanted God to know that at least he had been faithful.”
I’m so thankful that God remains faithful. He is faithful to His people, faithful to His Word, and faithful to Himself. May we continue faithfully and with a heart of remembrance and gratitude on our journey of faith.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I’ve noticed news outlets, social media posts, and radio announcers remind us that the season to be filled with gratitude, remembrance, and thankfulness is upon us. It‘s funny that we must be reminded to be filled with or demonstrate those traits. The first item of gratitude that comes to my mind is that God is constant, unchanging, and unwavering. His steadfast love is unending. Admittedly, though, my prayer life doesn’t resemble any of those traits most of the time. Reading through Nehemiah, I am encouraged to see that Nehemiah was a man of constant prayer. No matter what he was going through, he prayed, as evidenced in the fourteen recorded prayers throughout the book. Before he set out on the rebuilding project, Nehemiah prayed. When he approached the king, he prayed. When he was in trouble, he prayed. In chapter 13 alone, there are four prayers, and that is where we are going to camp today.
In verse 14, Nehemiah discovers that the Levites were not being paid, and their temple duties were neglected, so they worked in the farm fields to survive. Nehemiah’s prayer is a plea for God to remember his efforts to correct this and restore the proper functioning of the temple. “Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.”
What a beautiful reminder of the importance of seeking and trusting in God's grace, mercy, and compassion, especially in times of need. In verse 22, Nehemiah demonstrates his commitment to his role as a leader who humbly held people accountable. “Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.”
Nehemiah makes a call for holiness in verse 29, “Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.” This appeal to God by Nehemiah is bold, as he asks God to judge those who lacked integrity and broke the covenant.
A final prayer to God was from the heart of a true leader. Nehemiah entrusts his work and the opposition he faced to God. Verse 31 “I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, my God.”
Over and over again, we see Nehemiah praying for himself and others. He prayed that others would do right, but they didn’t, and as Pastor John reminded us, “All he could do was to point them in the right direction, and the rest was up to them. On multiple occasions, after he challenged their behavior and gave them instructions, he prayed to God for favor and justice. It’s almost as if he was telling God that there was nothing more that he could do, and in essence, he wanted God to know that at least he had been faithful.”
I’m so thankful that God remains faithful. He is faithful to His people, faithful to His Word, and faithful to Himself. May we continue faithfully and with a heart of remembrance and gratitude on our journey of faith.
Posted in Devotional