Nehemiah’s Tactical Response…

 

5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written:

It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. 7 And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.—Nehemiah 6:5-9

Oh, to be as Nehemiah was in the face of opposition!  Nehemiah responds boldly and without equivocation to the accusations made by his enemies designed to frighten both him and his people. He outrightly denies the lies, prays to God for strength and goes back to work. He does not give the enemies of God an inch. 

Nehemiah, here, reminds me of David facing Goliath and Jesus setting His face like flint to go to Jerusalem and the cross. He doesn’t shrink in fear but goes forward in faith. He doesn’t spend his time defending himself. He doesn’t allow himself to be distracted at all from his God-given task. He simply did what he normally did with everything that came his way. He brought it to God. 

9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”  Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Oh Father!  Do this work in me!  Thank you that You are my strong habitation to which I can continually resort. 

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.—Hebrews 4:14-16

Chalk Pastel by Anna…

Trusting God and Soul Fullness…

  

"So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. And I said to you, 'You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.'

"And every one of you came near to me and said, 'Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.'

"The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.'

"Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; and you complained in your tents, and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there."'

"Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.' Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.—Deuteronomy 1:19-33

Notice that in faith Moses looked ahead with confidence. He understood the enormity of the task before them but he also knew that God was sufficient for whatever they would face.  The people looked back toward Egypt and in their cowardice,  rebelled against the commandment of God and complained in their tents. Complaining gives evidence of unbelief and a lack of gratitude toward God.  Their description of the people of the land (stronger and taller than we are) revealed that they thought their task was impossible for both themselves and God. They looked at all the obstacles rather than at their God who had already proven Himself to be trustworthy.

Hebrews 11: 1 describes faith this way:  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Moses believed God…the people did not.  Moses walked by faith, the people by sight. Warren Wiersbe rightly says that unbelief blinds you to God’s greatness and magnifies your own weakness.  I have found this to be so true in my own walk with the Lord. 

My Father in heaven has graciously given me all that I need to see me through this life.  And yet…I confess…that there are times at night before I sleep when my heart still shudders in fear as I contemplate the future and those things that might lie ahead for me. I right my wrong trajectory by remembering God. When my mind is stayed on Him peace reigns. When I begin to look at my circumstances or even the trials that other people are facing, I shrink in fear. I don’t want any of it.  

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!—Romans 7:24

The verse that often comes to mind and helps me when I struggle with fear, unbelief or the real bottom line…not getting what I want…is this one:

And He gave them their request,

But sent leanness into their soul.—Psalm 106:15

It reminds me that I truly don’t want my way…I want His. I want to live my life in continuous thanksgiving for His steadfast love toward me that never ceases. I want to live thankful that He rules and overrules all that comes my way for my good and His glory. His will for me comes from His heart and is an expression of His love. I don’t want to miss out on any of the spirit strengthening victories that faith brings. It is not in me to navigate this world on my own. Without Him I can do nothing good. My Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. There is no going to the Father without Him. Faith brings soul fullness…it brings victory and life. Unbelief brings soul leanness…defeat and death are its fruit. 

Beloved…Hear the inspired words of Moses from the above passage in Deuteronomy. Tuck them away in your heart and ask the Spirit of God to bring them into your remembrance when they are needed. 

"Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.' 

Father…Have mercy on me for I am weak. Be my strong habitation to which I can continually resort. Help me to be like that Proverbs 31 woman who was not afraid of “ snow” for her household. She was not caught off guard physically or spiritually because she wholeheartedly followed her God. To the eyes that see by faith the earth is filled with Your goodness. I need never be afraid.  

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."—Joshua 1:9

Photo credit : Anna

My Times Are In Your Hand…

 

I love this...Jeremiah speaking to his enemies says...here am I in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you.  Jeremiah truly knew that despite how it looked from the outside, he was always in the palm of God's hand.  He knew that whatever happened to him, God was controlling it all and protecting him.  God is near...we live in His presence.  He goes with you wherever you go.  He is not a God afar off....He is near at hand.  

What freedom and peace is ours when we come to that place of trust....where we can  say as Jesus did, "nevertheless, not My will but Yours, be done."  What a blessing to have such an awareness of His presence and an assurance of His care and of His perfect love that we can say as Jeremiah did..."do with me as seems good to you"...or as David did in Psalm 31: 

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand;  

  

Praying that each of us can meet each moment with this kind heart attitude of explicit trust and acceptance of His will...That, by faith, we would walk with Him in agreement...and dwell in the shelter of His perfect love knowing  that He really does perfect all that concerns us and performs all things for us.

A Song of Sorrow…

 

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” A Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.

O LORD, God of my salvation,

I have cried out day and night before You.

2 Let my prayer come before You;

Incline Your ear to my cry.

3 For my soul is full of troubles,

And my life draws near to the grave.

4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit;

I am like a man who has no strength,

5 Adrift among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom You remember no more,

And who are cut off from Your hand.

6 You have laid me in the lowest pit,

In darkness, in the depths.

7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah

8 You have put away my acquaintances far from me;

You have made me an abomination to them;

I am shut up, and I cannot get out;

9 My eye wastes away because of affliction.

LORD, I have called daily upon You;

I have stretched out my hands to You.

10 Will You work wonders for the dead?

Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah

11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But to You I have cried out, O LORD,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

14 LORD, why do You cast off my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;

I suffer Your terrors;

I am distraught.

16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me;

Your terrors have cut me off.

17 They came around me all day long like water;

They engulfed me altogether.

18 Loved one and friend You have put far from me,

And my acquaintances into darkness.—Psalm 88

I have to say that Psalm 88 was a bit depressing.  The first half describes the Psalmist suffering in great detail and the last part his pleas for mercy and relief.  It is unlike most Psalms because there is no upturn at the end...the psalm concludes with the psalmist in a dark, lonely and friendless place.  I sighed and read it through again and then a third time. It came to me as I read, that all of us  have felt this way at one time or another even as believers.  What blessed me was that despite the writer’s despondency and depression, he turned his heart to the Lord.  It brought Psalm 62:8 to mind. 

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

Spurgeon calls Psalm 88 a Song of Sorrow.  I really liked that because even when darkness is our only companion and we don’t understand the Lord’s ways, as believers, we always have hope.  Underlying all the Psalmist grief and depression was trust in His God.  He was NEVER alone and neither are we.  The darkness of our circumstances can not overcome the Light emanating from inside our hearts. Despite his feelings...despite his circumstances...it was to God he turned. With childlike faith then...despite our feelings...despite our circumstances...we WILL turn to our God.  

Father...Thank you that You are always with me.  Thank you that You hear my prayers.  Thank you that You sustain through difficult times with Your sustaining grace and Your unfailing love. Thank you that in You...even the night is light about me.  

Let the Beauty of the Lord God Be upon Us…

 

 1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth,

Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

3 You turn man to destruction,

And say, "Return, O children of men."

4 For a thousand years in Your sight

Are like yesterday when it is past,

And like a watch in the night.

5 You carry them away like a flood;

They are like a sleep.

In the morning they are like grass which grows up:

6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up;

In the evening it is cut down and withers.

7 For we have been consumed by Your anger,

And by Your wrath we are terrified.

8 You have set our iniquities before You,

Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.

9 For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;

We finish our years like a sigh.

10 The days of our lives are seventy years;

And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,

Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;

For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

11 Who knows the power of Your anger?

For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.

12 So teach us to number our days,

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O LORD!

How long?

And have compassion on Your servants.

14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,

That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!

15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,

The years in which we have seen evil.

16 Let Your work appear to Your servants,

And Your glory to their children.

17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands.—Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses. It speaks to the eternity of God, and man's frailty.  

My time on earth is brief.  Even though I know this, it can still be difficult for me to keep the right godly perspective.  In the microcosm of my life one day at times, can feel like an eternity…time crawls.  On other days time seems to fly past. Neither perspective is accurate.  Beloved, the truth is our times and our lives are in His hands.  That is the perspective I want. 

Each day is always 24 hours long.  Whether time for me on a particular day is crawling or flying, more often than not I “waste” it by living for the earthly rather than the eternal. I cry out with the psalmist here and ask God to give me a heart of wisdom. May He  teach me to number my days and to use my time for His purposes.  

Like Moses, I want to be satisfied early with His mercy and to rejoice and be glad during my short stay here on earth.  I don’t want to live for me, for it is then that I am most miserable.  I want to live for God! That is where my joy will be found…for I died, and my life is hidden with my Jesus in God.  When Christ who is my life appears, I also will appear with Him in glory.  

Oh Father…All my springs are in You!  With You is the fountain of life. In Your light we see light. Help me, then, to live in the light of Your countenance!  Help me to care about the right things as I journey through this world.  I want to live for Your glory and honor.  

You, the eternal God, are my refuge. Let Your work appear to me. Let my children and my grandchildren see Your glory.  May Your beauty be upon me and establish the work of my hands. 

Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,

That they would consider their latter end!—Deuteronomy 32:29 

4 "LORD, make me to know my end,

And what is the measure of my days,

That I may know how frail I am.

5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,

And my age is as nothing before You;

Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.—Psalm 39:4-5

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:10

But I Would Strengthen You With My Mouth…

 

Yesterday I read about Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. Today, I am back in Job and wishing along with Job that he had had a friend like Barnabas.  Tragically, Job’s three friends will be remembered forever as the “miserablest” (if I can say that) of comforters. They only added to Job’s pain. Job says this at the beginning of Chapter 16:

Then Job answered and said:

"I have heard many such things;

Miserable comforters are you all!

Shall words of wind have an end?

Or what provokes you that you answer?

I also could speak as you do,

If your soul were in my soul's place.

I could heap up words against you,

And shake my head at you;

But I would strengthen you with my mouth,

And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.

Those last words are so very convicting!  If Job’s friends had been the ones suffering, Job would have spoken words of grace to help them in their misery.  I so want to be that kind of person!  The kind whose words build up and edify, not pull down and destroy. Job’s words in the above verses reminded me of a verse from Isaiah. Jesus is speaking. 

The Lord GOD has given Me

The tongue of the learned,

That I should know how to speak

A word in season to him who is weary.—Isaiah 50:4

The two cross reference verses for the above are Exodus 4:11-12 and Matthew 11:28. Once you look those up the heart of our God jumps off the page. 

So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.—Exodus 4:11-12

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."—Matthew 11:28-30

Beloved…we serve a God who is compassionate!  Our Most High, omnipotent, omnipresent, sovereign and majestic God condescends.  He stoops to help us.  His purpose for coming into the world was to to speak words of comfort to the helpless, weary and heavy laden under the burden of sin.   

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench;—Isaiah 42:3

1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

Because the LORD has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."—Isaiah 61

Father…Thank you for Your word this morning. Help me to listen to You morning by morning. Teach my tongue to speak Your grace and comfort to the weary and heavy laden whom You have sovereignly placed in my life.  Pour out Your grace on my lips. Work this beautiful work in my heart. 

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands.—Psalm 90:17

Additional verses:

"Talk no more so very proudly;

Let no arrogance come from your mouth,

For the LORD is the God of knowledge;

And by Him actions are weighed.—1 Samuel 2:3

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.—Psalm 19:14

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.—Galatians 6:2

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.—Romans 12:15

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.—Romans 13:8-10

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.—1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Love never fails.