1:1-2:18 - ‘You see
the trouble we are in’ - How do you react when the going gets tough? Do
you collapse in despair and succeed only in making your troubles seem
even bigger than they really are? There is a better way of dealing with
our problems. Believing that ‘the hand of his God was upon him for
good’, Nehemiah looks at the problem - ‘Jerusalem lies in ruins’ - and
sets about solving it - ‘Come. let us build the wall of Jerusalem’
(2:17-18). Our problems may be great. Our God is greater. When your
problems threaten to overwhelm you, remember this: God has ‘redeemed us
by His great power and His mighty hand’ (1:3-6,10). There is no greater
problem than our sin and God has dealt with that problem - Christ has
‘put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself’ (Hebrews 9:26). ‘Pack up your troubles’ and take them to Jesus!
2:19-4:23
- Serving the Lord is not easy. There are always those who ‘mock and
ridicule’ the Lord’s servants (2:19; 4:1-3). What are we to do when we
encounter this type of thing? We must pray to God and we must work for
Him - ‘The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we His servants will
arise and build’ (4:4-6; 2:20). When we face determined opposition from
the enemies of Christ and His Gospel, we must pray and we must be
practical - ‘we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection
against them day and night’ (4:9). We need to know our God - ‘the people
who know their God will be strong’. We need to know our enemy - ‘we are
not ignorant about Satan’s scheming’. When Satan comes to us, we must
be ready for him and we ‘must firmly resist him’ - in the Name of Christ
(Daniel 11:32; 2 Corinthians 2:11).
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