Prayer – Page 5 – Pot of Manna

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 7 Day 4

Thursday:

Text: Nehemiah 7:4-69 or Ezra 2:1-64

Teach: Oh, no. Another list. Why? What is so important about who was there? God loved them, each and every one. Wiersbe likens this list to the list of names in Hebrews 11. These are the people who made things happen.

Take: Not long ago one of my cousins posted some picks and historical/genealogical facts about our grandfather’s family. It was fascinating. I remembered when I was in grade school and I saw my grandmother’s family tree. It went back all the way to William Bradford who came over on the Mayflower. The entertainment industry has got the genealogy fever and now we can watch celebrities uncover their pasts. We seem to crave connection and the anchor it provides.

Task: Not everything we uncover in our pasts is something to brag about. Consider Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. But the truth is, God can even use those “unsavory” characters in his plan for us. And if that’s truth, imagine what he can do with us!

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 7 Day 5

Friday:

Text: 70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics[b] of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics[c] of gold and 2,200 minas[d] of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas[e] of silver and 67 garments for priests.

Teach: This chapter not only teaches us who was important to God, but so is their giving. What would happen if your giving was posted for all to see?

Take: When Jacob realized God’s protection and provision, he made an oath to return to God a tenth of all he had (see Genesis 28). In Malachi 3:10 we read: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it (NIV). Have you ever tried to outgive God?

Task: Friday is typically considered “payday.” Take time to consider your pay and your blessings and have a conversation with God about what and how he would have you give to his work.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 7 Day 3

Wednesday:

Text: 3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

Teach: Nehemiah called for two kinds of guards, those who kept the gates and those who performed as kind of neighborhood watch. Everyone was to keep watch and warn of the enemy’s presence or attack.

Take: The days of Sheriff Andy and Mayberry are gone. Doors and windows stay locked and many homes have security systems to protect them. We live by the mantra: you can’t be too careful. But are we as cautious to protect our spiritual life? We’re told to guard our heart in Proverbs. Jesus makes several references to guarding our treasure, our relationship with God.

Task: What safeguards do you take to guard your heart?

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 7 Day 2

Tuesday:

Text: 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do.

Teach: People with integrity do the right thing even when no one is looking. When a building has integrity it is a solidly built structure that will withstand the storms and elements. Nehemiah chose leaders who weren’t afraid to stand strong in front of the people and before God.

Take: I pass a building in progress on my way to and from picking up my grandson from school. The last couple days the workers have been putting up the back wall. It’s an interesting process. I imagine this isn’t the first building they’ve put up. Time and experience have informed their decisions. I doubt they would listen to the ideas of everyone who passed by. They followed the blueprints and the boss’ instructions. That way they would have integrity as workers and as a company.

Task: How’s your IQ, your integrity quotient? Are living what you believe before a watching critical world? It’s not always easy, but it is what God expects.

Rebuilding with Nehemiah, Chapter 7, Day 1

Monday:

Text: After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed.

Teach: Nehemiah is a very wise leader. He knew he couldn’t do the work alone, so he appointed assistants. It was a lesson Moses’ father in law taught him and even Jesus employed.

Take: There is so much work to be done for the kingdom. Some of it is upfront, while other work happens behind the scenes by people who rarely get or want credit. Where you work is not as important as if and when.

Task: Have you been gifted for a special service in the church or community? Take time to assess your gifts and your readiness to work. There is always something to be done, and something special just for you.

Rebuilding with Nehemiah, Chapter 6, Day 6

Saturday:

Text: 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. (Nehemiah 6:13, NIV)

Teach: Intimidation is the technique used by a person who perceives themselves to be more powerful than another, whereby they attempt to frighten the “weaker” person into doing what they want. Over and over we read of Nehemiah’s enemies seeking to employ this tactic. The problem is they thought Nehemiah was weaker. They failed to understand the strength of his character, and his God.

Take: Numerous times we find the reminder in the Old Testament journey of God’s people that the battle belongs to the Lord. Paul reassured the Romans that in spite of what they faced they were “more than conquerors.” (Romans 8:37) John encouraged his epistles that greater is he (God) who is in us, than he (Satan) who is in the world (see 1 John 4:4).

Task: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” That quote is attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. We will face many folks who will seek discredit us and make us feel inferior. We don’t have to give them consent. They may think weak and easily intimidated, but we can stand strong in the One who is greater and be more than a conqueror!

Rebuilding with Nehemiah, Chapter 6, Day 5

Friday:

Text: 9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” (Nehemiah 6:9, NIV)

Teach: “If they’re wringing their hands in fear, they’ll be too weak (and distracted) to work.” That was the thinking of Nehemiah’s enemies. Nehemiah’s solution: prayer. Hopefully by now we’re learning that prayer is Nehemiah’s answer to every problem or situation. This time he asked God to strengthen his hands.

Take: Peter encourages the believers of his day to “cast all your anxiety (care) on him (God) because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). This wasn’t a new thought for the Psalmist had penned the same message centuries before: “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22, NIV)

Task: Wringing your hands in fear is wasted energy. Instead, cast all your care on God, because he cares for you. He will give you the strength for whatever task you face.

Rebuilding with Nehemiah, Chapter 6, Day 4

Thursday:

Text: 8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” (Nehemiah 6:8, NIV)

Teach: Sanballat decides to shift his attack. Instead of coming privately to tempt Nehemiah away from the rebuilding of the wall, he sends an open letter and accuses Nehemiah of heading up a rebellion. His hopes were to discredit Nehemiah and incite the people against him.

Take: Lies and gossip. More harm to individuals and to the work of the Kingdom have been done by these tools of the enemy. Should we expect any less when the enemy made these kinds of attacks on Jesus?

Task: Nehemiah set the example for us once again. When his character was attacked, he simply denied the reports, asked God for strength, and went back to work. We need to be sure we are doing everything we can to protect our character (that’s integrity), and then entrust our reputation to God.

Rebuilding with Nehemiah, Chapter 6, Day 3

Wednesday:

Text: 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. (Nehemiah 6:4, NIV)

Teach: Nehemiah learned the lesson of staying power. His consistent response to the invitation of Sandballat is a clear example for us: if the offer is wrong once, it will always be wrong, whether the enemy comes once, four times or a dozen.

Take: The enemy is prowling, seeking those whom he can devour. Jesus understood the relentless nature of Satan’s attacks and told his disciples to ask, seek, and knock, not one time but over and over. Paul likened the believer’s faith journey to a long race, one that we were to finish faithfully.

Task: Has the enemy been trying to wear down your resolve? Reaffirm your commitment. Remind him that his ploys will not bring you down. No matter how appealing his lies may be, claim the power of God, in the name of Jesus, and stand strong on the wall so you can finish your task.

Rebuilding with Nehemiah, Chapter 6, Day 2

Tuesday:

Text: 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3, NIV)

Teach: Can you distinguish between what is important and what is urgent? Often the urgent things of life present as important to get us off track. Nehemiah was able to identify the ploy of Sandballat and his cronies as deception and he reaffirmed his commitment to getting the work done.

Take: Jesus encouraged his followers to keep their priorities straight. He told them to seek the Kingdom of God (the things of and about God) first, make those things their priority, then everything needed for life and living will follow (see Matthew 6:33)

Task: In your quiet moments with God, consider what your top five priorities are. What are the things in the list that you, like Nehemiah, wouldn’t leave or couldn’t be drawn away from? Seal your commitment in prayer.