Eight Men and Their God
It was a remarkable scene. A sea of people filling the streets and maybe the concourse of the temple. They had been standing for hours. No one was eating snacks or sandwiches. They were focused and didn’t want to be distracted by food. They were covered in coarse black cloth made from goat’s hair and they had clay on their heads. They were trying to outwardly express their failures, their sins and their repentance to God. For three hours there was a public reading of the Scriptures. For another three hours they confessed their sins and worshipped.
And then Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said to all the people: “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting.” Nehemiah 9:5
If you were asked to pray, what would your content be like? How much would you have to say about your God who is from “everlasting to everlasting?” But beyond that searching question, don’t forget to appreciate and personally apply the words about God written below to the circumstances you are in right now.
Here are some excerpts compiled and combined from their public prayer as these eight men reflected on the faithfulness of their God and their own unfaithfulness over multiple centuries.
“Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise… You are the LORD, You alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You… You have kept your promise for You are righteous…. You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…. You, in your great mercies did not forsake them…. In the time of their suffering they cried out to You and You heard them…. Many years You bore with them and warned them by your Spirit… yet they would not give ear….Nevertheless, in your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God…our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love… You have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for You have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly….” Nehemiah 9
These eight men seemed truly broken and overwhelmed by the consistent character of their God. “You are from everlasting to everlasting. You are the Maker. You are the Preserver. You are a covenant maker and a promise keeper. You always hear, see and respond. You always faithfully warn and never strike out randomly or chastise for no reason. You are incredibly patient, loving and forgiving. You give and give and give and then you give some more. You graciously bless us when we deserve no second chances. You are an amazing God.”
Take a moment just now to talk to your God – your Heavenly Father. Try adapting the words selected from Nehemiah 9 above into your own personal prayer. Change some of the third person pronouns (them, they) to first person pronouns (I, me). Maybe it will encourage your heart today and give you a fresh appreciation of your God.
One more thing – if you are looking for a new baby name, have you thought about: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah?
One Way to Witness: Include www.heaven4sure.com as a FACEBOOK Link: Links really do work! Every day new visitors are finding their way to the Gospel website via links posted on Facebook or other social networking sites.
Vehicle Magnet: 9.75″X1.75″ (22cmX4.5cm) Blue lettering on white. Unobtrusive and inoffensive way to help promote the Gospel in traffic and parking lots. For your free magnet, click here to email your name and postal address. Also put ‘magnet’ in the subject line of your email.
Automatic Signature: If you include www.heaven4sure.com in your automatic email signature, you will increase the number of visitors to the Gospel site. This is particularly relevant if you are in contact with those who do not yet know Christ.
Facebook Twitter: pdr_heaven4sure