Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-12 & 2 Corinthians 1:1-17
When I Nehemiah 8 I wondered why the people were so mournful and weeping. Than I read the previous chapters before and realized it was no wonder they where emotional. They had just come out of hiding and being in exile for years than rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days! I would imagine they were tired and totally overwhelmed with how much God had brought them through and now how God was helping them to come together again in safety and freedom. Here are some verses from chapter 6 to help you put it into perspective:
15 So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. 16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God. ~ Nehemiah 6
They had much to be thankful for, they were totally protected by the walls of the city and by God against their enemies. This was an awesome moment of salvation for them and new freedom that God had been promising them. In chapter 8 we read how they reacted upon hearing the Word Of God for the first time in years. They only had one ‘Book of the Law of God’. Not like today almost anyone can have or get a Bible, we totally take it for granted and have to be held accountable to read it. Notice how they lifted their hands and bowed down with their faces on the ground? That jumped out at me big time. Imagine if we were that thankful, we wouldn’t be worried about what others thought of the way we worshiped whether it be with our hands up, standing, kneeling or our faces to the ground. Really this is the way it should be, no? Some people call it radical or weird but I call it just plain thankful and rejoicing in what God has done for me. I mean really if you are too cool to do this in Church than you gotta ask yourself if you plan on being the only one standing/sitting with your hands in your pockets when we get to heaven.
6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 And Nehemiah[b] continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” 12 So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them. ~ Nehemiah 8
Just reading how the people had to be continually reminded to rejoice and not mourn was convicting to me. Someone recently asked me if I write any blogs that are about happy things 🙂 Well here’s a happy thought…reminding ourselves to rejoice when we have allowed God to work in our lives. Sometimes we go through so much for God’s honor and glory through our weaknesses that when we’ve had victory, we forget to celebrate! The walls didn’t go up on their own in 52 days. God made it possible but they had to choose to participate in His plan and I am sure it wasn’t easy to build walls back than. But when it was done they were to celebrate. I myself need to remember not to forget to celebrate and rejoice in the Lord. I shouldn’t always“be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is MY strength!”
It’s fitting that I write this just before our Canadian Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Maybe some of us need to spend more time rejoicing this weekend and less time being dejected and sad. I’m sure we all have something to be thankful for. While playing harp in the NICU this week I met a mom who had one thing to rejoice in and another to be mournful about. However I am sure that knowing how God’s hand helped her to have that one tiny little ‘thing’ to be thankful for, she will focus on that this weekend.
The thing that I am most thankful for this weekend is from the passage than I am reading in 2 Corinthians.
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 1
“May God help me to be comforting to others like He has been a Comforter to me because I am so thankful in all that He has led me to victory in that I rejoice for the Lord is MY strength.”
thankfully in the clay,
Chantal Dube