Blessing or the Blesser!

In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king.  And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” Nehemiah 6:6,7

Sanballat challenged the integrity and intention of Nehemiah to build the wall. He raised up a suspicion among the people by setting up false prophets and to create a picture that “Nehemiah’s intention to build the wall was to become a king”.

Dear sisters, even now the enemy challenges, tests our faith and brings into light what our faith is really made of!

Spurgeon says:

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.

Yes Trials shows what our faith is really made of!

The enemy tested Job’s faith:

Was Job’s faith resting on the Lord?

Or was Job’s faith resting on the Lord’s blessings and protection?

Job 1:9-11Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

But Job, by God’s grace, proved him wrong. He proved that his faith rested on the Lord  and not on His blessings!

• Dear sisters, where do we stand when our faith is tested or challenged?
• Do we love the Lord for who He is and not for what He gives?
• How do we react when we are stricken by sickness or when we suffer financial loss or when our children suffer in any way?
• Do we murmur against the Lord? 
• Or do we see it as a test of faith, and come forth as a gold trusting in Lord’s sovereignty and faithfulness? 

Many waver in their faith, many forsake the Lord when the enemy touches the blessings they have. But May we dear sisters, stand tall in times of our troubles and prove that our faith rests on the Lord and not on the fleeting blessings!

Wisdom for the days

Nehemiah 6:4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

Though the enemies kept bothering Nehemiah, trying to distract him from the great work he did, the Lord gave Nehemiah the wisdom to react and respond back rightly. Nehemiah didn’t rebuke them for their treacherous scheming, but responded back wisely.

We in the end days, are called to lead our lives wisely dear sisters. We are in dire need of wisdom!

Wisdom to guard our relationship with the Lord,
Wisdom to be a virtuous wife, a godly mother,
Wisdom to speak, wisdom not to speak,
Wisdom to make the right decisions.
Without wisdom, we can never lead a life glorifying the Lord!

Proverbs rightly said:

Proverbs 16:16How much better to get wisdom than gold,to get insight rather than silver! 

Where shall we go? 
Where shall we run to get this wisdom? 
An electric bulb never glows unless it is connected to the source of electricity, 
A branch never give fruits unless it is connected to the vine, its source of life!

Should we not run to Source of the wisdom, to the throne of grace to get help in times of our need!

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Matthew Henry says,
“Let the foolish become beggars at the throne of grace, and then they are set to be wise.” 

Yes dear sisters, may we run to the throne of grace as beggars each day, crying out for His divine wisdom.

May we not be confident in our own understanding! 
May we not wallow in our own foolishness!
May we not be slack in asking Him!

He is the Lord who gives us GENEROUSLY, we don’t have enough because we don’t ask Him enough!

Do not be entangled

Nehemiah 6:3-4
And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

A call to get entangled

There was a call to socialize, get diverted, spend time with worthless companies, as Nehemiah devoted himself to complete the Lord’s work.

Dear sisters, We too very often get diverted, get carried away, entangled with worldly affairs, as we dedicate ourselves to Lord’s service. what is that distract us or slow us down from our wholehearted devotion/service to the Lord:

• Worthless worldly companionship
• Worldly affairs that of no eternal values 
• Reputation/approval/fear of man
• Cares and anxieties of the world

Live free from bondage

But scripture clearly says, the children of God should lead a life of freedom, free from all the worldly bondage that slow us down and live wholeheartedly to please the Lord!

2 Timothy 2:4
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

1 Corinthians 7:32-33
But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.

The Lord heard the groans and sighs of the Israelites under the Egyptian bondage, and delivered them mightily! May we dear sisters, cry unto the Lord, be delivered of all the bondages, May His truth set us completely free!!

John 8:32
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The Beautiful and the Peaceful End

Nehemiah 5:13 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

What a beautiful ending of the conflict! Nehemiah sorted out things that brought conflicts within the people and they all beautifully and peacefully ended the conflict with an Amen and praising the Lord. 

Stephen, the Spirit filled waiter:

Similar situation arose in the early church, a situation where Greek speaking Jews were complaining against the native Jews as their widows were being overlooked in the food distribution.

Acts 6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

So, the twelve apostles decided to choose people who would serve the table. And the skill set of the servers they sought for is amazing:

Acts 6:3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.

They sought men with full of the Spirit and of wisdom to serve the tables!

They found Stephen and few other men & brought a beautiful end to the conflict.

Acts 6:5-7 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

What a beautiful end these Spirit filled men brought! 

Word of God increased, disciples multiplied, priest became obedient to faith!!

Application:

Dear sisters, as the woman of the family, we face lot of conflicts, misunderstandings within the family. Conflicts with the spouse, in-laws, relatives etc. 

But do we aspire to bring a:

Beautiful and peaceful ending to the conflicts in the family as Nehemiah and apostles did

Or do we:

Kindle the strife?? 

Proverbs says:Proverbs 26:21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

But a Spirit filled woman quenches the fire of strife with the Living waters flowing from her!!

When a person who serves the table, needs to be full of Spirit and wisdom, how much more a wife, a daughter-in-law, a mother-in-law should be filled with the Spirit to lead peaceful family!

May we be sisters, not a wood to the fire of contentions, but be Spirit filled and quench the strife! May the conflicts in our families end beautifully with Amens and with praises to the Lord!!

God’s goodness

Nehemiah 5:12 Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised.

Hearing Nehemiah’s sharp words, the entire group of rich people swore to return back whatever they took unrighteous from the poor. What a great picture of repentance! Bible clearly says it is the goodness/kindness of the Lord that leads us into repentance. (Romans 2:4)

I would like to again look into the story of Zaccheus. Zaccheus actually didn’t have an idea to repent or to follow Jesus. But he had a thirst to know who Jesus was.

Luke 19:3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.

“Seeking” in the original translation is to “to crave, to desire intensely”. When this man just took one step to seek Jesus, Jesus blessed him back bountifully by his presence in the tax collector’s home. This goodness and kindness of Christ lead Zaccheus to repentance.

Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

The Lord didn’t just blessed Zaccheus with salvation but the entire household. Here “house” implies all the members of the household.

Luke 19:9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.”

Dear sisters, may be we are praying for the repentance and salvation of a loved one in our family: spouse, children, parents, siblings etc. The story of Zaccheus comes as a great encouragement to us.

When just one of the family members, has a great thirst for the Lord like Zaccheus, it invites the glorious, magnificent presence of the Lord into our home.  And this presence, goodness and kindness of the Lord will definitely lead the entire household into salvation!! 

Acts 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Dear sisters, may we not get discouraged by the current stand of our loved ones, but continue to the pant and thirst for the glorious presence of the Lord at our home, then we don’t stay far from the day, where we proclaim along with our family:

Joshua 24:15“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Testing of Repentance

Nehemiah 5:11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.

Nehemiah commands the nobles and the rich Jews to show their repentance immediately by returning back to the poor the ransoms they took. 

When Jesus entered the house, heart and life of Zacchaeus, the tax collector didn’t just regret of all his past wrong doings but proved his repentance by returning back in multiple times what he collected more than he supposed to do.

Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

This is what John the Baptist says:

Luke 3:8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.

Luke 3:8 Bear fruits that are deserving and consistent with [your] repentance [that is,conduct worthy of a heart changed, a heart abhorring sin]

Luke 3:8
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

Yes, we come across certain situations in our life where our repentance is tested.

I have always wondered why the Lord places me in the same set of circumstances over again and again,  where I am spiritually weak.

I easily grumble when I am physically weak and tired. But my husband frequently travels, I am left alone to handle everything at home and work which makes me very weak and extremely tired. 

I fume and grumble when people are so mean and does unfair things. And the mean people never change for years, they keep repeating the things they do to me. 

Then I realized these repeated situations are the opportunities where my repentance from grumbling is tested and through which the Master Sculptor keeps sculpting His image in me!!

Dear sisters, do we stand the test of the repentance? 

Does our life, word and deeds prove our repentance when we are repeatedly tested?

May we not lose heart when God places us in the same tough situations over and over again, it is where our repentance is tested and it is where we made are strong in the areas where we are weak. Like a prince of a nation is trained from his childhood for war, God trains us for greater glory through this same, repeated difficult situations.  

Hebrews 12:9-11 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Confession of Sins

Nehemiah 5:10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest.

Here Nehemiah publicly confessed that he, his brothers and his servants were also lending money to the poor. There are different speculations from the commentators on this verse:

1. Few believe Nehemiah was also lending and exacting interest on the poor Jews

2. Few believe Nehemiah confesses on behalf of his brothers and servants who were exacting interests 

In any case, Nehemiah didn’t hesitate to confess his/his men’s sins. Being a leader, watched, criticised and followed by many,  he sets a great example by publicly confessing that he and his brothers were exacting interest and gives a call to everyone to give it up. 

Great Joy and Great Power:

Dear sisters, May be we are quick to confess our sins to the Lord, but are we confessing to the ones whom we have sinned against? The prodigal son teaches us a lesson on confession:

Luke 15:21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

This confession and repentance brought a great joy in the Heaven!

There is a great power in confessing our sins to the ones we have sin against. 

We see it in James:

James 5:16 Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

The prayer of the righteous man, who is humble enough to confess, is so powerful!! 

Testimony:

I have already shared this testimony here but was reminded again today. Few years back, I was very much badly treated by a short tempered senior colleague. She was shouting at me very often. Though I didn’t give her back and was silently bearing it, I was shouting and screaming at her in my heart. As I was harbouring these thoughts and fuming inside, I felt completely disconnected with the Lord in my prayers.

As i was struggling in prayers, I had a dream where I saw myself sitting as a lamb before that shouting senior. And suddenly I heard a fierce voice of mine shouting more louder than her,  though my mouth was closed and my face was innocent. This clearly showed me that this internal fuming on her was the reason for the disconnect with the Lord. As I confessed this bitter thoughts to the Lord, the Holy Spirit nudged me to confess it to the colleague.

I was greatly challenged to confess because I was the one getting mistreated and I shouted her only in my heart. Little I knew that my thoughts are words before the Lord!! But I couldn’t afford of losing the fellowship with the Lord for a sorry. Lord pushed me forward.. I held the hands of my colleague and said sorry for being bitter towards her in my heart. This amazed her greatly, she started coming to the prayer cell that I was conducting and started believing in Christ. She shared with her room mate and she started coming her as well & got saved.

What a miracle it is! 

That’s the power of confession of sin! 

It breaks and opens up hard hearts & a makes a way for Christ to invade! 

Praise the Lord!!

Dear sisters, may we not hesitate to confess our sins to one another. 

Nehemiah was watched by many, but still he confessed! 

May we not hesitate to confess privately or publicly, for great will be the joy in the Heaven and greater will be the power in our prayers!!

A life that challenges the enemy

Nehemiah 5:9So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?

Enemy, the Mocker:

We all know that the enemy is a great accuser and he is also a great mocker.

We know the story of seven sons of Scava who tried imitating Paul in driving out the demons by invoking the name of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Acts 19:13
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”

They just called upon the name of Jesus, but their lives didn’t backup salvation. And see how the enemy mocked at them:

Acts 19:15-16
But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

The devil mocks at the attempts to bind him, confession of the Lord‘s name, when the life doesn’t backup the confession!!

Our Lord, the Testifier:

But our Lord, on the contrary never accuses us nor mock at us on our failures, but testifies about our righteous lives in the presence of the enemy.

Job 1:8
And the Lord said to Satan, „Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

It is so interesting to see that God didn’t testify about Job’s wealth or his reputation or about the vast cattle & servants he had, BUT ABOUT HIS CHARACTER!!

Unlike the rich Jews, and the sons of Scava, who lead a life of mockery to the enemy, Job lived a life that challenged the enemy!

Application:

Yes dear sisters, only a life that honors God, a life of testimony, will challenge and threaten the enemy! We may try binding devil in the name of our Lord/blood of Christ, we may confess or proclaim scriptures, but does our life of testimony back up our confession??

Scriptures clearly says that:

Revelation 12:10-11
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

We can conquer the enemy only by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony! Without a life of testimony, we will be just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, we will be just beating the air, we become an object of mockery like the sons of Scava.

May we desperately seek in prayers to lead a life of testimony before God and man, then we become real challenge to the enemy!!

Worshipper and the Builder

Nehemiah 3:1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.

The high priest had the privilege of getting more closer to the presence of the Lord than anybody else. He alone had the blessing of going into the Holy of the Holies to offer worship to the Lord. What a joy is to dwell in the  sanctuary, in the very presence of the Lord! Even Psalmist felt jealous on the sparrow who built her nest near the altar in the sanctuary:

Psalms 84:3 Even the sparrow finds a home,and the swallow a nest for herself,where she may lay her young,at your altars, O Lord of hosts,my King and my God.

But Eliashib, the High Priest didn’t stop in the sanctuary, enjoying the presence of the Lord, he stepped into the world, to the people, got his hands dirty, built the wall with the other people. 

We can see lot of people who could dwell in His presence, in prayers, Reading the scriptures for hours. But when it comes to the world, they step back, they withdraw from people whom they can not mingle with, they avoid some, despise some. But is this a true mark of a worshipper? 

Jesus too spent lot of time in Father’s presence, He spent his nights and early mornings alone with His Father in mountains and wilderness. But the next morning, He touches the leper, heals the blind, goes to a sinner’s house, gets pushed and crushed in the crowd, yes, He spent His whole day going around and doing good.

Father, help us to remember Eliashib and our Higher priest Jesus, didn’t just dwell in your presence but also got into the world, to your people. Help us O Lord, it is so easy to think that we love you, when we find it very tough to love people who are made in your image. Help us to remember that the first commandment is to love you and the second equivalent command is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Help us to be a worshipper and also be a builder Lord, in Jesus name we pray, amen!

May our lives speak Lord!

Nehemiah 3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.

The high priest is the first person mentioned who pitched in and helped with the work. Spiritual leaders must lead not only by word but also by action. May be the priests, who were in the highly esteemed position, being the mediator of God and men, could have avoided the work. But they were the first persons to pitch in. They didn’t just preach, they lived what they preached. 

Yes dear sisters, may be we are also serving as leaders, ministers in different areas. 
Are we living out what we are preaching? 
Jesus didn’t just preach about serving, He lived out as a servant; 
He didn’t just preach about loving the enemies, He loved the enemies on the cross. 

Lord, help us O Father that we will live, what we preach, what we write and what we share with others. May we be like Eliashib and the priests, may our lives speak louder than our words. May we not be known as a good preacher or a writer or a prayer warrior, but be known by our fruits and by our lives in Christ. 

Lord, you didn’t just taught us about serving but lived out as a servant, give us that privilege Lord, to live what we preach.  For we know Lord, not whoever calls you Lord, Lord but who does your will enters the Kingdom of Heaven. Not one who prophesies  nor who heals nor who drives out demons in your name but he who does your will enters the Kingdom of Heaven. 

May we who preach, may not be disqualified. May we remember those who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Help us to live worthy of the calling we received and May our lives speak Lord, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

We are in disgrace!

Nehemiah 2:17Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.”

The people of Judah had tried building the wall and failed. They learnt to live with the broken walls for more than 100 years now.

Nehemiah who came down to build the wall:

• He didn’t blame the people of Judah for their failures 
• He didn't look down on the people and their lack of passion. 
• He didn’t give free advice of what should have been done. 
• He didn’t exalt himself as a superhero who came  for rescue. 

But he identified himself as one among them!

It was not their troubles, but our troubles!
It was not  "you are in disgrace”, but  "We are in disgrace".

Everyday we come across people who are suffering, who are broken, who are in difficult situations and request us for prayers or counsel. 

How do we deal with them? 
Do we judge them hearing their story? 
Are we quick to offer them advice on dos and don’ts? 

Job’s three friends came to strengthen Job hearing about the tragedies (Job 2:11-13). But they gave him long speeches, judged him, spoke words that were not God’s true characters and finally got rebuked by the Lord (Job 42:7-9).

 But Jesus identified Himself with the broken people:

• He wept with Mary and Martha, 
• He listened to the Samaritan woman, 
• He feasted with Zacchaeus, 
• He spoke for the prostitute woman who was about to be stoned. 

May we be like Jesus and Nehemiah, identify ourselves with people who are broken, wear their shoes, walk with them, listen to them, see and experience their troubles as our own troubles, weep with them and gently draw them to the Lord.

Nehemiah's Inspection of the Wall

Nehemiah 2:13I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

For the first time, Nehemiah saw with his eyes what had been reported to him, and what God had called him to repair. Nehemiah wasn’t just sightseeing. Instead, he carefully studied the broken-down walls and the burned gates. The word inspected in Nehemiah 2:13 and 2:15 is a medical term for “probing a wound to see the extent of its damage.”

David was very much troubled in his heart as he was chased by Saul. David saw Saul’s anger upon him, but he couldn’t comprehend why Saul was angry at him. He couldn’t see Saul’s jealousy and the evil spirit behind this terrible anger. 

We too are often carried away by the problems on the surface, we see child’s rebellion, spouse’s fear, our own frustration and try treating it on the surface. We don’t see way beyond it, to find what is causing it or how to repair it!

But our Lord has stronger probing eyes than Nehemiah, He sees way beyond our face and emotions. He sees our hearts, thoughts and even the motives behind our thoughts.

May we subject ourselves and our families into the Lord’s probing eyes and get to know the root of the problems. 
He probes us not to condemn us but to heal us and repair us. 
May we allow the master Healer and the master builder to probe us, to reveal us and to heal & repair us.

Psalms 139:23-24Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Nehemiah - A threat to the enemies

Nehemiah 2:10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard this, it distressed them exceedingly that a man had come to inquire for and require the good and prosperity of the Israelites.

Sanballat was probably the governor of Samaria, the region immediately to the north of Jerusalem. Tobiah, probably the governor of Ammon, the region just to the east of Jerusalem across the Jordan River, was most likely Sanballat’s friend and business partner. These men had become rich and powerful under Persians, exercising control over Jerusalem and its inhabitants. These two cared nothing as long as Jerusalem was weak and vulnerable; as long as the people of God were not strong, not secure, and lived in disgrace. But when Nehemiah stepped in to remove the disgrace, they became exceedingly distressed. 

This is how our enemy behaves too. He doesn’t bother as long as we remain prayer-less, in sin, in pleasures, in discouragement, in fear, in unbelief and of no use to the Kingdom of God. But when we repent of our sins, step in obedience, when we aspire to grow in holiness, when we walk in Spirit, when we long for God’s name to be glorified in our lives, when we try pulling out someone out of fire, that is when he becomes agitated.

Some people fear ever stepping out for the LORD, because they know opposition will come. 
Few think their life will be better or easier if they stay in their low, mediocre state before God. 
What a deception it is! 

May we not settle for anything less out of fear of opposition. May we be as bold as the little David, when the entire nation and the army was trembling in fear of Goliath, he boldly stepped in alone for the name of the Lord to be glorified!

1 Samuel 17:26And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Nehemiah on Mission

Nehemiah 2:9Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.

Finally Nehemiah was set on a 800 miles, 3 months, day and night journey from Persia to Jerusalem. He reached the border “Beyond the River” and will be stepping into the land of Judah after giving the letters to governors at the check post. 

Nehemiah prayed, planned and he got into his mission now. 
It costed him his comfort, luxury, his safety, his stress free life, but he opted for it.

We sometimes substitute "talking about" evangelism for actually "doing" it. We keep talking about sinful, unjust world and to an extent, we pray about it. But our Lord, is the God of missions. He didn’t “keep talking” Himself about the sinful world, He did something about it. It costed Him, His only Beloved Son! He sent His Only Beloved Son as a first missionary to this world.

As the children of God, like Nehemiah, we are not just called to “speak about,” “pray about” a broken wall but to go and do something for it. Going and doing would cost us our comfort, our convenience, our time, effort, energy, our peaceful and stress free life, would get our hands dirty. 

But just Imagine if God didn’t send His only Son to this World, imagine if the missionaries from the western countries didn’t come to us, owing to their comfortable life, where we would have been?

We are ought to go into the world, meet the people in dire and sinful situations, touch their lives with the good news of the gospel, NOT BECAUSE WE ARE RESCUERS, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN RESCUED!!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Give God the Due Glory

Nehemiah 2:8And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

As we study the book of Nehemiah, we are so amazed at the selflessness, burden of Nehemiah. We saw how he tarried in prayers and fasting, how he overcame his fears to speak out, how he was in constant communion with the Lord, how he prayerfully planned. We trust that all these noble attributes of Nehemiah brought him so far.

But when we ask Nehemiah, the secret of his victory, he humbly redirects our hearts to the good hand of the Lord. He gives all the glory, honour and praises to the Lord, for He is only worthy! 

He didn’t glorify in himself:

                                 “O My steadfast prayer did this!”,  
                                  “I moved the God of heaven through my fasting”, 
but he said 
                                  "It is the Lord in His mercies did this”.

Yes, dear sisters, what are we glorifying in? 
Are we giving the glory to “our prayers, our fasting, our giving, our noble deeds”  for the victories in our lives? 
Then we are no better than Nebuchadnezzar who gave the glory to his mighty power in building the palace:

Daniel 4:29-30At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”

Later Nebuchadnezzar undergoing grass therapy (Daniel 4:33), he lifted up his eyes towards heaven, blessed the Most High giving Him praises and honour and was restored. 

May we also dear sisters like Nehemiah, attribute all the glories and praises to our Lord for all the good things in our lives, for He alone is Worthy!!

Nehemiah's Arrow Prayers

Nehemiah 2:4-5Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.”

Nehemiah after 4 months of tarrying at the Lord’s feet, got noticed by the king.  The king asked what can he do for Nehemiah but before answering the king, Nehemiah prayed a quick and silent prayer. It occurred between the time that the king asked a question and Nehemiah delivered his answer. You don’t want to keep the king waiting! 

Some people call this an “arrow” prayer. You only have enough time to shoot up one arrow. Arrow prayers are quick short sentence prayers asking for God’s help while we’re in the middle of a crisis, problem or daily activity.

I personally have always felt how powerful these arrow prayers are, how these arrow prayers put things into perspective.  

Anxiety begins with a single anxious thought in our heart. We wait for this anxious thought to take root, to grow, to get us anxious and then we pray to overcome anxiety. Instead, if we shot up an arrow prayer, when we sense a small disturbance in our heart, it would have brought a deliverance to the soul and saved us a good amount of time and energy.

If we shoot up an arrow prayer, as our foot is slipping, Lord’s steadfast love will hold us up. 
If we shoot up an arrow prayer, as the cares of our heart are growing, His consolation will cheer our soul.  

Psalms 94:18-19When I thought, “My foot slips,”your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.When the cares of my heart are many,your consolations cheer my soul.

May we make all our thoughts into prayers - troubling thoughts into arrow prayers and all our joyful thoughts into arrow praises, this will not only help us to remain connected with the Lord but also bring a great deliverance to the soul.

Pray for people in authority

Nehemiah 2:4The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

This was the turning point, answer to Nehemiah’s 4 months of fervent prayers! The king instead of shouting at Nehemiah “Cut off his head!”, kindly asked “What do you want me to do?”.  This was an exact answer to Nehemiah’s prayer:

Please help me now as I go in and ask the king for a great favour: put it into his heart to be kind to me. Nehemiah 1:11

What an unbelievable and amazing transformation that the Lord wrought in the king’s heart! 

Proverbs 21:1In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.

Nehemiah, knowing that the king has stopped the construction of the city, did not pray a prayer of vengeance, “O Lord, topple down this king and his kingdom”, but he prayed a prayer of love, for change of heart!

Sisters, we might live under unjust rulers, hard bosses, problematic clients, how do we pray for them? Are we praying this prayer of love over their hearts or just complaining about them in prayers? 

All the authorities above us are ordained and established by the Lord Himself (Romans 13:1) and when we speak, rebel or complain against them, we speak/rebel against whom God has instituted them (Romans 13:2). 

1 Timothy 2:1-4I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Pray for their hearts, for God wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Make it a habit to pray for your bosses, authorities, colleagues and customers this prayer of love & witness the amazing transformation that God brings in their hearts and the peace you will have in your hearts!! 

Nehemiah’s boldness to speak out!

 

I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Neh 2:3

For Jews, Jerusalem was more than just another place to live. The city of Jerusalem was the symbol of God’s power and authority. Jerusalem was the place of the presence of God, where God’s glory and power manifested. The very presence of God with the people of Judah, which melted the hearts of the enemies (Josh 2:11), now had become an object of ridicule.

All who pass your way
    clap their hands at you;
they scoff and shake their heads
    at Daughter Jerusalem:
“Is this the city that was called
    the perfection of beauty,
    the joy of the whole earth?”

All your enemies open their mouths
    wide against you;
they scoff and gnash their teeth
    and say, “We have swallowed her up.
This is the day we have waited for;
    we have lived to see it.” Lam 2:15,16

This reproach on God and His people were burning like a fire in Nehemiah’s heart. The zeal for God’s glory was consuming him. This pushed him to speak out, even after knowing that the king Artaxerxes himself has stopped the reconstruction of the city (Ezra 4:18-22) and it could cost his life to speak out. He was not afraid of the king who could kill his body, since he had the reverential fear of the One who could destroy both body and the soul in the hell (Matthew 10:28).

How bold are we to speak out for the Lord?

Do we have the courage to confess that He is the Savior, He is the Lord of our life,  before men, in our workplace, before our unbelieving friends?

Paul says that it is the love of Christ compels, urges and impels him not to live for himself but to live for Him who died for us!! (2 Corinthians 5:14,15) May this love of Christ, who died for us when we were yet sinners, compel us, urge us and impel us to confess Him before men!!

Matthew 10:32-33
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

“கிறிஸ்துவினுடைய அன்பு எங்களை நெருக்கி ஏவுகிறது;”
‭‭2 கொரிந்தியர்‬ ‭5:14

Be Thoughtful

Nehemiah 2:1-2In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

The king was so thoughtful that he saw a difference with Nehemiah, he sensed a sadness in him and inquired after him. A gentile king was so thoughtful upon his servant, how thoughtful our loving Father would be upon us!! Even our loving Father pays attention to our emotions - sadness, bitterness, our fear and inquires after us. Apostle Peter calls Him the Lord who cares and in Tamil, it is beautifully written:

அவர் உங்களை விசாரிக்கிறவரானபடியால், உங்கள் கவலைகளையெல்லாம் அவர்மேல் வைத்துவிடுங்கள்.
‭‭1 பேதுரு‬ 5:7‬

அவர் நம்மை விசாரிக்கிற தேவன்!!

Yes, the Lord who inquires after us! The Lord who checks on our well being!!

Jesus checks on Mary Magdalene in her tears (John 20:15)
Our Lord checks on Cain in his anger (Gen 4:5,6)
Our Lord checks on Elijah in his discouragement (1 King 19:9)
Jesus checks  on Paul’s hardened heart (Act 9:4)
Jesus stopped by the fig tree to speak with Zacchaeus (Luke 19)
He stopped by the well to listen to the Samaritan woman. (John 4)
Our Lord remembered Hannah, He remembered Noah, remembered Cornelius!

Yes, He remembers and pays individual attention to His children.

Hence Psalmist sings praises to the Lord being amazed at the mindfulness of our Lord:

Psalms 8:3-4When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

As our Lord is mindful of us, pays individual attention to us and inquires after us, we are called to do the same to the precious souls that He has placed in our lives. We are called to be mindful of, pay individual attention to and inquire after the people around us. We never know how many Naomis, Hannahs, Samaritan women around us, go un-cared of, unless we stop by in our busy lives, and pay individual attention to them.

Joseph, in his sad, unjust prison life, stopped by, paid attention to and inquired after his fellow prisoners:

Genesis 40:7
So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, ”Why do you look so sad today?”

And we know, how through his mindful act, God accomplished His purpose. May we not lay our busyness, our sadness, our troubles as excuses to stop by, to pay attention to the souls in our lives.

Praying Through Nehemiah Chapter -1

"Lord, help us that we May not be just hearers of the Words but be the doers of it. As we read and meditate upon chapter-1 Lord, pls work mightily in our hearts that we bear 100 fold fruits to the seeds that are sown."

Nehemiah 1:1
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

"May we be like the parents of Nehemiah, in this ungodly world,pray and teach Your laws to our children day and night! May we not give up nor grow weary in doing so. May we trust and believe that when we do so, we will reap the harvest in dew time"

Nehemiah 1:3
And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

"Bless us with Your heart of compassion Lord, when we see people, family and churches with broken walls, may we be moved with compassion. O Spirit of love, fill our hearts with burning love for the lost souls. Help us not to sit idle in our comfort zone, when souls are rushing to hell"

Nehemiah 1:4
As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

"May our prayers be not centred around ‘i’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ o Lord but for the precious souls you have placed around us. Help us to weep day and night before You Lord, that our loved ones and our people might not lose their eternal life with You! May our eyes be fountains of tears for the dying people whom you have placed in our lives!"

Nehemiah 1:5
And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,"

"Help us o Lord, in our despair, not to forget that You are the Great, mighty deliverer and Awesome God, the God of all impossibilities and nothing is difficult for you! When we wonder at Your greatness, may we also not forget that You are a loving God, who is faithful in His words, who take pity on us, who walk with us in our troubles”

Nehemiah 1:7
We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.

"Help us O Lord, to humble ourselves in your presence that we will regret not only for our sins, but also for the sins of who sin against us! Help us to be like You, who took the first step of reconciliation, when we were yet sinners!"

Nehemiah 1:8-9
Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’

"Help us O Lord, to diligently study Your words day and night, to store it in my heart, that I will be warned when I go wrong and I will be encouraged by your precious promises when I am in troubles. May your promises be the anchor and the solid rock that I stand on, that I will hold on to it tightly and pray it back to you in need"

Nehemiah 1:10-11
They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cup bearer to the king.

"Help me to remember that, I am very often, the answers of my own prayers. help me not to wait for someone else to come, instead wait upon you and go with the strength you give. At the same time, help me not to think I am the only one, who remain faithful nor I am the only one who prays fervently, but look at the 7000 knees, the Holy remnant of people whom you have everywhere in this world"

"O Lord, May I be a woman of integrity, like Nehemiah a who won his king’s trust even in exile. Help me to see, whatever I do as a worship to You Lord and be faithful even in the smaller things of my life. Let me not to forget that when I am faithful in little, I can be trusted with much”

As we move on to the next chapters, O Lord, keep speaking with us, encourage us, warn us, transform us, build us up, in the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen!!