This afternoon, after some office work, I had a session with my fitness trainer. I believe after last week he is being more cautious in my workout sessions to make sure I don’t overdo. I then participated in the Colorado State University homecoming parade with the Larimer County Republicans. It had been a long time since I’ve done something like that. The weather was great and the parade seemed to go well. Now if CSU can beat  Air  Force it will be a good weekend.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know.…My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you….I will change my heart and life.” Job 42:3,5,6 NCV

In the Book of Job we read a lot about what Job had to say about his life and God. We read what his friends had to say about Job and God. In the final chapters we see what God had to say about Himself, Job and his friends. God responds to Job first and then his friends. He begins by asking Job some penetrating questions.

God asks Job, “Would you say that I am unfair? Would you blame me to make yourself look right?” (Job 40:8 NCV) That question by itself is enough to get ones attention. How often people blame God for being “unfair.” If not based on what happens in their own life, then it is what they observe in the world. Pointing a “finger at God” to avoid ones own accountability for life, actions and attitudes doesn’t “cut it” with God.

God goes on in his discourse with Job to address his splendor and majesty and rule over all that is in the world.  At the end Job responds by saying, “I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be ruined. You asked, ‘Who is this that made my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:1,2 NCV)

God’s purpose for ones life and for our world will come to pass. What happens is God’s purpose is confused and distorted by the thoughts and ideas of people. This should challenge us all when we “speak for and of God.” We must be sure that we are not venturing into “things too wonderful for us to know.” We understand so little, our insight is so limited. As Paul said, “we look through a glass darkly…” (1 Cor. 13:12 KJV)

Job’s sufferings and His encounter with God, changed his life and his view of God. He said, “My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5 NCV) How often in the natural have we “heard or known about someone” and then we meet that person and discover what they are really like. That’s what is seems Job is communicating. He knew about God, He had some ideas about God, but know he had met God and received a revelation of the Lord he had never had before.

I believe any time suffering, tests or challenges come to our lives it is an opportunity to learn something about the Lord that we never knew. Or, we experience in practice what we only knew before in theory. That is something that I can related to from my experiences of the last two years.

Job’s response to his greater understanding of God, is “I will change my heart and life.” That is a good description of repentance. True repentance is an encounter with God, an understanding of the Lord in a way that changes how we, think and feel and what we do.

While Job’s understanding of God was not complete, it was better than his “comforters.” The Lord commands Job’s three friends to bring sacrifices and to have Job pray for them. Was that easy for Job? These three had been more of a “thorn in his flesh” than a true  source of comfort. They worked hard to condemn Job and use a faulty concept of God to make Job feel his suffering was rightly deserved.

We don’t know how Job felt, but we know what he did and we see the result. After he prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his possession, family and status and health. I don’t believe Job’s restoration would have been complete if he continued to be tormented by the words of his friends and carried unforgiveness and resentment for them in his heart.

We can learn much at the end of Job’s life. We need to accept that our understanding of God will always be limited. We need to allow the trials of life to give us a clearer picture of the Lord’s character and ways and allow that to build our trust and relationship with Him. We need to understand that restoration and recovery relates to our relationship with others as much as it does to God. There is nothing the Lord allows to be taken away, that He can’t fully restore and then some, if that His plan and purpose for our life.

Today, before my weekly conference call with my Larimer Energy Action Project team, I received a call from the COO of Northern Colorado Acute Hospital. He had an update on some contacts he had made with other Long Term Acute Hospitals in  Denver about an issue I have been working on with them. I will have some meetings in the next couple of weeks to follow up with those hospitals.

Today was another great fall day with warm temperatures. I had a lighter schedule, so it gave me an opportunity to focus on some office work and to get a little work done outside. I have my appointment tomorrow with my trainer. I am working on walking with once crutch and even taking a few steps on my own. Thank you for your prayers for my progress.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “So where does wisdom come from, and where does understanding live?…Only God understands the way to wisdom, and he alone knows where it lives, ‘The fear of the Lord is wisdom; to stay away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28:20,23,28 NCV

The verse above sounds much like the writing of Solomon. It is uncertain as to when Job lived. However several of the theories all have him living before Moses. That means certainly long before Solomon. The more I look at some of the words of Job, I wonder, “did Solomon have knowledge of Job and his life and reflections?”

What is of interest in Job 28 is the detailed reference to precious metals and the work of the miner. As Job weaves reflections on precious metals and jewels and the work of the miner just before talking of wisdom, he is pointing out that, wisdom must be valued and it must be sought after. Solomon said, “…look for it [wisdom] as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure…” (Proverbs 2:4 NIV)

Wisdom is about life and having insight. It is “applied understanding or knowledge.” It is one thing to learn, it is one thing to have understanding; but those who have the most success in life are those who apply understanding and knowledge to their life, decisions and their efforts. I recall hearing a statement in my youth that was something like this, “we don’t need a ‘thus saith the Lord’ for everything in our life.” Many people look for the specifics in the Bible about their life and miss the principles that are to form the basis of our life in God and how we make decisions in life.

Job said, “People do not understand the value of wisdom….” (Job 28:13 NCV) Wisdom can not be bought and it is of great value.” Job said wisdom can’t be found in the sea that it can’t be bought with gold or silver and that it is of greater value than precious stones. Solomon’s advice, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom…” (Prov. 4:y KJV) Solomon’s request of the Lord, when he became King, was for wisdom to rule rightly and justly. He didn’t ask for wealth or triumph over his enemies or a long life.

God holds the keys to wisdom. “Only God understands the way to wisdom, and he alone knows where it lives…” (Job 28:23) Solomon said, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6 NIV) To know God is to have the greatest access to wisdom that is available. It is actually available in no other way. Just as “all truth is God’s truth” we can observe, “all true wisdom is from God.”

The Apostle James talked about a “worldly wisdom” and wisdom from heaven. “Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:16,17 NIV) The Apostle Paul said, “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight…” (1 Cor. 3:19 NIV)

Fear of the Lord is wisdom. Wisdom is shown by honoring the Lord and staying away from evil. It is that simple and it is that challenging. Doing what the Lord wants, living according to His ways. Solomon said, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.“ (Prov. 9:10 NLT) David declared in Psalm 111:10 (NLT) “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.”

When we look into the Bible we see from Job to David to Solomon, in the Old Testament and  to Paul and James, in the New Testament, there is a recognition for the value of the wisdom that comes from God. It is needed in our life, our work, our relationships. It has to do with understanding God’s ways and living by His instructions. The life of those with wisdom is a life of blessing.

Today I had an interesting experience and a great opportunity to tour some oil and gas production sites. We toured both a drilling rig and a fracking site. It was very interesting and are great opportunity to learn more about the technology. I also got some good exercise walking around sites on my crutches. When I returned from the tour, I had a Chiropractor appointment which was probably good timing.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… I wish for the days when I was strong, when God’s close friendship blessed my house…“Now my life is almost over; my days are full of suffering. At night my bones ache; gnawing pains never stop.…[Then] The Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than the first part….Job lived one hundred forty years. He lived to see his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Job 29:2; 30:16,17; 42:12,16 NCV

In the first chapter of Job we read his words, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21 NIV) As we get near the end of the story of Job we see some specifics on what Job’s life was like.

Job in the midst of his misery longs for the days that were. He had been accused by his “comforters” of being self-centered and closed-fisted and arrogant. But that description does fit Job’s reflection on his, life, status and generosity.

Job recognizes the blessings of health and the blessing of knowing God. “…God’s lamp shined on my head, and I walked through darkness by his light. I wish for the days when I was strong, when God’s close friendship blessed my house.” (Job 29:3,4)

Job was respected and honored, “When the young men saw me, they would step aside, and the old men would stand up in respect. The leading men stopped speaking…The voices of the important men were quiet… Anyone who heard me spoke well of me…” (Job 29:8-11)

Job was kind and compassionate, “I saved the poor who called out and the orphan who had no one to help. The dying person blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing…” (Job 29:12,13)

Job was a man of justice, “I broke the fangs of evil people and snatched the captives from their teeth.” (Job 29:17)

People sought out Job’s advice and considered him a man of wisdom. His esteem among the people is summarized in his words, “I chose the way for them and was their leader. I lived like a king among his army, like a person who comforts sad people.” (Job. 29:25)

In short for Job, life was “good” and he thought it would never end and what was, would always be until he died. “I thought, ‘I will live for as many days as there are grains of sand, and I will die in my own house…New honors will come to me continually, and I will always have great strength.’” (Job 29:18,20)

That was then, but now…we see all of that changed faster than Job or anyone else could realize. He lost wealth, family and health and longed for death in the midst of his suffering. He also lost his status in the community, “But now those who are younger than I make fun of me. I would not have even let their fathers sit with my sheep dogs… Now they make fun of me with songs; my name is a joke among them. They hate me and stay far away from me,
but they do not mind spitting in my face.” (Job 30:1,9-10)

I politics, people say, “it is amazing how fast you can go from being a ‘whose who’ to a ‘who’s that'” So we see that all that Job had going for him from wealth, family, status in the community, was all taken away, including his thoughts about God. “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you just look at me. You have turned on me without mercy; with your powerful hand you attacked me. You snatched me up and threw me into the wind and tossed me about in the storm. I know you will bring me down to death, to the place where all living people must go.” (Job 30:20-23)

Job through his suffering learned more about God than had known before. It believe that has certainly been my experience and I trust the experience of all who travel through times of difficulty and deep challenges in life. It is easy to feel comfortable with the “blessings of God” that have come our way and what we possess and what we have achieved. It is like the saying, “This is what I learned about life after I knew it all.” Job could say, “This is what I learned about God when I thought I knew everything I needed to know.”

What he learned was that his perception of God and his suffering was not accurate. God did not have death in store for Job but life. God did not have a diminished status in life for Job, but for restoration beyond what he had known and experienced.

Job was suffering and felt God-forsaken and was ready to give up on life. That was then, but now...we see God restoring  Job’s health, wealth and family to a greater extent than what he had before. Job’s life was not cut short but ended up being a long and prosperous life.

In our lives and in our situations we can be quick to settle for what is in the present as if that is all there will be. We can suffer loss of family, status, health or wealth and believe it is “all over.” But find with God, as one baseball great put it, “it ain’t over till it’s over.” Don’t make hasty conclusions about your life, past or future or God. Be patient, trusting and faithful. And as the Apostle James commented about Job, “…You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.“ (James 5:11 NLT)

This morning I attend my Tuesday prayer gathering. We didn’t have any of our county officials present, but we prayed for them anyway. 🙂 With my new position and having the ability to be more active, I am attending more community functions. Today I attended a Rotary meeting in Fort Collins. I also had a workout session with my trainer, but he took it easier on me this week which was nice.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Mordecai the Jew was second in importance to King Xerxes, and he was the most important man among the Jewish people. His fellow Jews respected him very much, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the safety of all the Jewish people.”  Esther 10:3 NCV

The Book of Esther begins with Esther being selected as Queen and ends with Mordecai as “Prime Minister” (second in importance) to King Xerxes. So we find two Jews, individuals who had their history among those who had been taken captive by the King of Babylon now in positions of power and influence in the kingdom Persia, following the fall of Babylon.

We read in scripture the same type of thing happening with Daniel and the “three Hebrew children.” We see how Nehemiah was in a position of influence near the King as cupbearer so he could intercede on behalf of the exiles in Jerusalem. We need to understand the God “knows what He is doing.” He is able to provide for His people even in the worst of circumstances. He is able to protect and rescue as He did in the story of Esther.

Mordecai was not elevated to his position by virtue of sheer political influence. His favor with the King was because He honored and obeyed the Lord. His character lead to exaltation to a position of honor and influence. He put himself on the line for the good of others and won their respect. He spoke up when it would have been easy to be silent and he took action when it would have been easy to stay put. In doing so, he saved his own life as well as the lives of thousands of Jews living in exile.

We never know how our actions will influence the outcome of history; for ourselves and for generations to come. If the Jews would have been exterminated as Haman had planned, there would have been no return to Jerusalem and their would have been no lineage of David to provide for the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. I don’t know if Mordecai understood all of that; but we see he did understand that the Lord would act on behalf of his people. We see it in his words to Esther, “If you keep quiet at this time, someone else will help and save the Jewish people…but you will die…” (Esther 4:14 NCV)

In the end Esther decided to break the law, risk her life and place herself in the Lord’s hands. She came to the conclusion, “…if I die, I die…” She made the decision that death by an act of nobility, was better than death as a coward.

We see an interesting parallel in 2 Chronicles 28 with the unknown prophet “Oded.” Pastor Park Sutton pointed out in our devotional this morning, how this prophet put his life on the line in confronting the armies of Israel who had killed thousands of Judah’s soldiers and had taken 200,000 women and children captive.

He pointed out that the prophet took a big risk by speaking up. He could have been killed, taken captive or even if they listen to him, still have been an unknown prophet of the Lord. But he spoke up and the Lord used him and Israel’s leaders listen. They responded by clothing and feeding their captives; they cared for the sick and wounded and returned them to Jericho.

In our life our decision, our responsibility is to obey and follow the Lord. The Lord will take care of the results and the outcome. Esther’s life was spared, Mordecai, it ended up in a position of influence; for Oded he went back to life as usual. His name was not in the news, he receive no human promotion. In both of these accounts the Lord used the person who was available and obedient to save the lives of thousands.

When we obey the Lord and are more concerned about others than ourselves, it is amazing what the Lord can do through our life. Remember, “we obey – the results belong to God.”

I enjoyed being back to my normal schedule. After an early breakfast meeting, I was able to work out of my home office and get quite a bit of work accomplished. I even got in a “functional workout” with my outside landscaping project.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…  “…if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  Esther 4:14 NCV

I never get tired reading the Book of Esther. What a story! It has drama, intrigue, excitement, irony and through it all we see God behind the scenes working in peoples lives. The entire book is just one story. One story about one chain of events while God’s people we captives in a foreign land. But it is a story that was at the basis of celebration that is still on the Jewish calendar today. God saved His people from annihilation, and that is something to remember and celebrate.

In many ways the story is about Mordecai, Esther’s adoptive father and cousin as much as Esther. It was Mordecai who put Esther in the position to be Queen. He provided counsel and encouragement to her. Mordecai was the one who discovered the assassination plot against the King and saved his life. Mordecai “stood his ground” in not kneeling to the arrogant Haman. It was Mordecai who informed Esther of the plan to kill all the Jews and compelled her to act.

We see Esther was a woman of beauty, dignity, courage and wisdom. When she realized that she needed to act on behalf of the Jews, she called a fast. Not just for others, not just for herself, but for all of God’s people that she could. What she did, she did not do out of presumption or human courage, but she knew she needed the favor of the Lord to have the favor of the King. She needed divine favor with God to have favor with man.

Once she was accepted in to the King’s presence, she did not just blurt out the word about the crisis or her request. She asked the King and Haman to a banquet and then another before she reported to the King what was troubling her. In the end Haman is hanged on the gallows he planned to use to kill Mordecai. The Jews are allow to defend themselves and with the Lord’s help they defeat their enemies.

What is interesting is the word “Purim” means “lots.” Haman cast lots to determine the most suitable day to kill the Jews. But with the Lord there are no chances and there are no plans against Him that will succeed. Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.“ (NLT) This certainly applied to Haman and the story of Esther.

But if there is a word that characterizes the Book of Esther, it is “destiny.” Even in captivity God is watching over His people. He is able to have the right people in the right place at the right time. When Mordecai had Esther enter the “Queen competition” he did not realize how that would play out. When the time came he challenged Esther with those well known words, “who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”

When we commit our lives to the Lord, we need to believe that He will place us where He wants us to be and use us where we are for His purposes, at just the right time. It might not be as dramatic as Esther, but you never know. Ask yourself, “how does the Lord want to use me, where He has me at this time?” When we do that, prayerfully, we will not just live our life we will be investing our life and yielding our life to God’s higher plan and purpose.

This morning I joined Pastor Steve Harris for the chapel service at MacKenzie Place retirement center. We had a good attendance and the people were very appreciative of the music and message.

I returned home and go the lawn mowed and some work done outside before having lunch with  Debbie and watching the Bronco game. I used the time to write another chapter of my book.

I’m glad that my week ahead is not as busy as this past week. It took me a while, but it seems my energy has returned to where I expect it to be.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith…But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,  knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners…”           1 Timothy 1:5,8,9

When we know God’s ways and obey them, it demonstrates our love for God. Jesus said, “…if you love me you will obey my Word…” (John 14:23 ESV) Paul writes to Timothy about those who would abuse and distort the teaching of the law and said its purpose is to promote love from a pure heart. Obeying God’s ways also reveals a good conscience and a sincere faith. It shows sincere faith, because the one who obeys is committed to believing God’s word and the promise of blessing that comes from being faithful to the Lord.

Paul observes a truth that is true for God’s laws and man’s laws. The law is good if it is followed. As a result, if people would be good without the law, it would have never come into existence. But the law is for those who are lawless, insubordinate, ungodly and all kinds of sinners. I find the word, “insubordinate” interesting. It basically has to do with those who ignore God’s ways and want to live life on their own terms and not suffer any consequences. That is so descriptive of many in our day.

But we find Paul identifying himself with many of the sins he has just listed. It is like he is saying, “the law was made for me….it was made for you.” That is because none of us can please God and all have sinned and need the Lord’s forgiveness. Paul wants Timothy to know, “if the Lord can forgive me, he can forgive anyone.”

“the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.…for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” (1 Timothy 1:14,16 NCV)

To surrender our life to Christ and to trust Him for strength for daily living shows our love for God. When we love God not in our own strength, but through the life and power of Christ we can live according to His ways.

We come to the realization of how great the Lord is and join with Paul in declaring, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17 NCV)

This morning we headed to Lakewood early and watched granddaughter Eliana play soccer. She ended up scoring three goals and her team won.

We join the family of Larry and Jay Belvill for a family memorial service in honor of Jay’s mom Vila Mae Byrum. She was 93 and lived a life of faith, grace and dignity. It was good to share these moments with a family that has been a special part of our lives.

Before heading home we stopped by Christian and Bridget’s as they were getting ready for oldest grandson  Riley’s ninth birthday party. He was having a “Lego” party and with the help of a friend from their church, they had more Lego parts and kids working away on being creative and having fun.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…Don’t let my cry ever stop being heard! Even now I have one who speaks for me in heaven; the one who is on my side is high above. The one who speaks for me is my friend. My eyes pour out tears to God.”   Job 16:18-20 NCV

With all the words that are spoken by Job and his friends, there are a few verses and statements that have become well known. In the early chapters we read, “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) We read the words of Job’s confidence when he says, ” For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth.” (Job 19:25 NKJV) Then there are these words of Job’s final outcome, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10 NIV) The verses above could be added to these that are more familiar.

In the midst of all that Job was facing we find his declaration of confidence in believing the Lord was on his side. He was suffering intensely and immensely. He cursed the day he was born. He felt that death would be better than life. His friends didn’t help his situation. Job told them, “I have heard many things like these. You are all painful comforters!” (Job 16:1 NCV) He hoped for comfort and support but he found none. His friends analyzed, criticized and pontificated  about Job, God and Job’s situation.

We see in Job’s words that the Lord heard his cry and that the Lord would be the one in heaven who is for him. I’m not sure if Job understood the ramifications of his words when he said, “I have one who speaks for me in heaven; the one who is on my side is high above. The one who speaks for me is my friend..”

When we look to the New Testament we see that Jesus is our advocate and our intercessor. John spoke the encouraging words, “…if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1 NKJV) The writer of Hebrews declared, “Therefore he [Jesus] is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (Heb. 7:25 NLT)

It is on thing to defend ourselves and to “stick up” for ourselves; it is another when someone else comes to our defense. I recall when a local newspaper distorted words and tried to slander me and Teen Challenge. I wasn’t sure whether to or how to respond. Soon, a citizen from the community wrote a letter to the editor defending me and the work of Teen Challenge. I can’t tell you how much that was appreciated and the relief it provided during a time of testing.

There is no one greater to have defending you and your cause than Jesus Christ. I have good news for  you today, there is one who speaks for you in heaven and He is on your side and this one who speaks for you is your friend! We all need a friend like that. Few will ever face the hardships, suffering and loss like Job. If Job could find comfort in the Lord in the midst of his confusion, fear and frustration with life, so can you.

This morning I attended a memorial service for long-time friend of Debbie’s family, Harold Schwindt. I met Harold and wife (Myrna) and family when Debbie and I were first dating. Harold was a faithful family man and follower of Christ. He died suddenly and unexpectedly in an accident in Minnesota helping his son, as he did each year, with the sugar beet harvest.

This was one of those situations where a man who was alive and well on Sunday was being memorialized and remembered at a service on the following Friday. It was a vivid reminder of the uncertainties of life. I couldn’t help but reflect on my own health crisis and how quickly life as we know it can change. We need to be ready, because we might not have time to “get ready” before our time comes.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “The wall of Jerusalem was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. It took fifty-two days to rebuild. When all our enemies heard about it and all the nations around us saw it, they were shamed. They then understood that the work had been done with the help of our God.” Nehemiah 6:15,16 NCV

The accomplishment of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem is nothing short of a miracle. Not just in getting the job completed but in the time it took the work to be done. We read how that when Nehemiah surveyed the walls there was so much rubble it was discouraging. Have you ever taken on a project where the clutter was so great, you didn’t know where to start? That’s where Nehemiah was with the task of  rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem.

When we look at the journey from rubble to raising the walls, there are some important lessons that can be applied to our lives. We won’t be called to the type of undertaking Nehemiah was to, but we all face challenges and opportunities that are bigger than we are.

First of all Nehemiah placed himself in a position to be used by the Lord to respond to a need. He heard the news about the condition of the walls and the discouragement of the people and went to prayer before he took any action. He sought the Lord for forgiveness of Israel’s past and present sins and interceded for himself and God’s people. The hallmark of the Nehemiah story is that we see his prayers some recorded and some not throughout the entire process.

Nehemiah received favor from unexpected places. The King listen to his story and responded favorably to his request for help in rebuilding the walls. We need to understand that the resources we need may not be in our hand, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be made available as we trust in the Lord.

Nehemiah had to rally the people to the task and organize them for the work. He called the people to the task at hand with these words,“You can see the trouble we have here. Jerusalem is a pile of ruins, and its gates have been burned. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so we won’t be full of shame any longer….The God of heaven will give us success.” (Neh. 2:17,20 NCV)

Nehemiah organized the people for the task. Each family unit was assigned a gate and portion of the wall to rebuild. A big task broken down into small pieces provided the incentive and progress that was needed to get the job done.

Opposition and challenges plague the process. Nehemiah faced challenges and threats to their success from without and from within. There were those who tried to discourage the work from being critical, to making fun of their work to threatening violence. In each situation Nehemiah turned to the Lord and took practical steps to protect the people and the work they were doing.

Inwardly there were Jews who were without food, they didn’t have money to pay taxes and some of them were oppressing fellow Jews by charging excessive interest. Nehemiah had to address these issues, find solutions and bring correction. He took action by personally responding to some of the needs. “I fed one hundred fifty Jewish people and officers at my table…But I never demanded the food that was due a governor, because the people were already working very hard.” (Neh. 4:17,18 NCV)

Nehemiah faced those who worked to discredit him and his leadership. “They paid him [false prophet] to frighten me so I would…sin. Then they could give me a bad name to shame me.” (Neh. 6:13 NCV) But Nehemiah responded with wisdom and strength and integrity and kept to the task.

The task we are called to, the life we are called to live requires, “Nehemiah-like” faith and fortitude. There may be miraculous favor and provision, but that doesn’t mean a trouble-free, easy road ahead. We need to be ready for the struggles and opposition and face them with prayer and wisdom. We need to trust the Lord to help us complete the task the He called us to start. When that happens the glory goes to the Lord, because all, including ourselves, realize that it happened not because of our wisdom or resources, but because of the Lord making it all possible.