DEVOTIONAL
WEEK 5 DAY 7: SEEKING GOD’S FAVOR
The Passage: Nehemiah 5:19
The Point: God remembers the work we do for Him.
The chapter ends with a prayer that we will see repeated six more times in this book. Nehemiah is asking God to remember him. Does Nehemiah think God is forgetful? No, not at all! Nehemiah has been faithful to God’s calling and plan to rebuild the wall. He is a man of prayer. We have seen the prayers he has already prayed and the ways that God has moved on his behalf. God has not only worked to make it possible for the wall to be rebuilt, He has also worked in the hearts of His people.
Nehemiah’s prayer is not for worldly blessing or fame, but that God will look upon his life and remember the good he had done for the sake of God’s people. In Hebrews 6:10 we see an extension of this idea: “ For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.” Nehemiah’s life work was built around showing love to God’s people and ministering to them.
Our lives can be lived in the same way. Think about Nehemiah’s example. He was a man of vision and prayer, a man of action, a servant leader, a man of perseverance through adversity, an advocate for the oppressed, a good steward, and a spiritual leader to name a few. These are characteristics that are memorable to God. The things we do to love God’s people and minister to them for the sake of making His name great will not be forgotten.
Processing:
- Look back over Nehemiah 5, what were some specific things that Nehemiah did for the people?
- How did Nehemiah’s actions reflect the character of God?
Plan:
- Think about your life, how are you loving and ministering to God’s people?
- What is one way you could love or minister in a way that is a better reflection of God’s character?
- Will your life be remembered for building God’s kingdom or your kingdom?
WEEK 5 DAY 6: LEADING IN ADVERSITY
The Passage: Nehemiah 5:16-18. Additional reading Philippians 2:1-11 The Point: God calls us to be servant leaders. “I also applied myself to work on this wall…” (Neh. 5:16, NASB). In this passage, Nehemiah exhibited one of the most powerful leadership principles, he led by example. By this time his status was elevated to governor. He…
WEEK 5 DAY 5: GODLY LEADERSHIP
The Passage: Nehemiah 5:14-15 The Point: God provides for His people. For 12 years Nehemiah governed the Jewish people under the reign of King Artaxerxes. As a government official, Nehemiah was entitled to the food allowance of a governor. Nehemiah refused that allowance because he wanted to set a different example. He wanted to rule…
WEEK 5 DAY 4: REPENTANCE
The Passage: Nehemiah 5:12-14 The Point: Let’s be a community of true repenters. Because of Nehemiah’s example his Jewish brothers repented and made a promise to restore what they had taken from their kinsmen. As we consider this passage, we see such a picture of repentance. True repentance is a lot more than saying, “I’m…
WEEK 5 DAY 3: GODLY FEAR LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Passage: Nehemiah 5:9-11 The Point: There is a right kind of fear. Proverbs 9:10 famously begins by stating, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” We can understand from this proverb that when we don’t fear God we make unwise decisions. When we forsake the fear of the Lord we become…
WEEK 5 DAY 2: GODLY ANGER IN ADVERSE SITUATIONS
The Passage: Nehemiah 5:6-8 The Point: There is a difference between godly and ungodly anger. A few years ago, I discovered something about myself that was very profound: I got angry too often. Now, I wasn’t the “punch-the-wall” or “huff-and-puff” type angry, but I started to realize that too many things made me mad. I…
WEEK 5 DAY 1: INTERNAL ADVERSITY
The Passage: Nehemiah 5:1-5 The Point: Every now and then, life gets filled with adversity. Many times, adversity comes from an outward force or an external institution that is pushing our backs against the wall. But what about when the adversity we’re facing comes from our own family ― our own flesh and blood ―…
WEEK 4, DAY 7: DIGGING DEEPER
The Passage: Nehemiah 4:22-23 The Point: Let’s rise to the challenge and finish the work! Even in the face of intense opposition, Nehemiah and his men were driven by a sense of urgency. Every minute the wall wasn’t built was a minute that their people were in danger from an attack that could come at…
WEEK 4 DAY 6: BLOWING THE TRUMPET
The Passage: Nehemiah 4:19-21 The Point: Encourage one another. As Nehemiah’s band of brothers was laboring to build the wall, they were separated from one another. As they were working on their section of the wall, it was easy to feel alone. It was easy to forget the energizing encouragement of knowing you have brothers…
WEEK 4 DAY 5: TEAMS WORK TOGETHER
The Passage: Nehemiah 4:15-18 The Point: Let’s get each other’s backs. It was Spartan Race time. The training was over and race day had arrived. There was nothing left to do but run hard and leave it all on the course. We had a team of five and we were moving at a good pace….