Be Still And Know

Acts 9.3 NLT 'As Saul was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.' Saul was a deeply committed Jew and his mission was to destroy the church. He was acting with the authority of the High Priest in Jerusalem and his task was to search out any followers of Jesus and take them as prisoners. But suddenly everything changed as he travelled on the road to Damascus. A brilliant light flashed around him and he heard a voice asking, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul knew the Scriptures well enough to know that this must be God and he asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply was not the one he wanted to hear. He was sure that there was nothing in this new-fangled Jesus religion. How shocked he must have been to hear the voice saying, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” We know the rest. We know that this moment changed everything. Saul’s life was turned upside down and inside out. He would never be the same again and neither would the church. But let’s

Nehemiah 12.27 NLT 'For the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres.' God’s people have always loved celebrating! The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was an incredibly significant moment and we are given a wonderful picture of the people’s celebrations. The Levites had the leading responsibility for worship and so they were brought into Jerusalem from all over the country for this special moment. There was a wide range of musical instruments from trumpets and harps to lyres and cymbals, and Nehemiah organised the singers into two choirs who walked in different directions around the walls of the city. Nobody was left out. It must have been a great deal of fun. The whole Bible is punctuated with times of exuberant worship. It is no surprise that when John received his vision of heaven

Nehemiah 9.5 NLT Then the leaders of the Levites called out to the people: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Time defines our lives so completely that it is very hard to understand eternity. I recall hearing about heaven when I was a child and finding it a very unattractive idea. I assumed that there must be a lot of worship going on in heaven and so I built up a picture of it being like a never- ending church service. The service I had in mind started with a brilliant presentation by the angelic choir who sang beautifully for 650 years. This was followed by a welcome and some notices which were relatively brief at only 200 years. And then there was an absolutely amazing sermon that had 1,400 extremely good points and went on for 2,000 years. I decided that heaven probably wasn’t for me! If you have such visions of heaven then I would like to set you free! Heaven will be nothing like that. Heaven is beyond time, just like God. Whenever the Bible tal

Nehemiah 9.3 NLT 'They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshipped the Lord their God.' This was the start of a new chapter for God’s people. It was a time for them to reassess their lives in the light of the Law of Moses. This was an occasion for encouragement because they were reminding themselves of the love and faithfulness of their God who wanted to live in covenant partnership with them. But it was also a time of deep pain as they were reminded that the people of Israel had a long history of rebellion against God. Worship should always contains these two elements. As we declare the greatness of God and celebrate his love for us, we are bound also to own up to our failures. God doesn’t call us to wallow in our sins and to exaggerate them. He wants to set us free from our failures and shortcomings, but that cannot happen unless we are honest with him. It is, the

Nehemiah 8.10 NLT “This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” When the people heard Ezra reading the Law of Moses they burst out crying. Presumably they did so because they were reflecting on how far they had fallen as a nation. There was a huge gulf between what God had intended and the present reality. Nehemiah and Ezra were as aware as anyone of these things but they saw this day as one for celebration and rejoicing, not for sorrow. They encouraged the people to bring together the best food and drink and to have an enormous party to celebrate what God had done. The celebrations were a recognition of the fact that the joy of the Lord was their strength. Everybody knows what joy is and it always enhances life. The joy of birth, seeing a toddler take their first step, watching children playing happily, smelling a flower or seeing a majestic landscape, success in sport or work or the joy of finishing a jigsaw puzzle. We all know what joy

Nehemiah 8.6 NLT 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 worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days was an amazing achievement. But Nehemiah was quite clear that there was something that was even more important and that was to ensure that God was at the centre of the city’s life. In this chapter, Ezra the priest addressed all the people and brought out the Book of the Law of Moses. This may refer to the whole of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) or perhaps just the Book of Deuteronomy. What we know for certain is that Ezra read for six hours, from daybreak to noon! This was quite a marathon, but it is recorded that the “people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.” We read that Ezra stood above the people and as he opened the Book the people all stood up and praised God. What an amazing moment that must have been as the

Nehemiah 6.9 NLT 'They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.' I have read the book of Nehemiah many times over the years but what has struck me with special force this time is his amazing resilience. Almost anyone can lead an organisation when the circumstances are easy and the sun is shining. The real test of leadership is what happens when you are living with constant pressure and an endless supply of discouragements. The only way to get through is with resilience and that’s what Nehemiah had to a remarkable degree. From the very beginning of his heroic rebuilding operation, he had been mocked and threatened. The opposition intensified with time. No one would have blamed Nehemiah if he had thrown in the towel, complaining about the unfair way in which he had been treated. But he didn’t. He not only hung in there but continued the work with even greater determination. Whatever you do in li

Nehemiah 5.14 NLT 'For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes— neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance.' I once heard about a military officer who took his men on an arduous training exercise. They were all carrying heavy rucksacks which pushed them to their limits. At one point, they had to climb over a gate and the officer’s rucksack split open to reveal that, although it appeared to be full, it was in fact empty! It had no weight at all. In that moment, the officer completely lost the respect of his men and rightly so. He didn’t deserve it. It is impossible for leaders to command respect unless they live up to the highest standards and it was crucial that Nehemiah did so. In today’s verse he points out that, during the twelve years that he was governor of Judah, he had lived in an exemplary way. The previous governors had been so very different, laying heavy burdens on the people and d

Nehemiah 5.6-7 NLT When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. These verses give us a fascinating insight into Nehemiah’s leadership. First of all, he listened. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem might sound a simple and straightforward task however it proved to be anything but. The problem, as so often, was money. People were struggling to pay their taxes. Some things never change! This problem was made worse by the fact that, in order to pay their taxes, they were needing to mortgage their properties and fields and even sell their children into slavery. Nehemiah listened to the complaints. No leader will ever succeed unless they learn to listen carefully. This sounds simple enough, but true listening is incredibly demanding. It demands our full attention, compassion and wi

Nehemiah 4.16 NLT 'From then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.' There is no question that Nehemiah trusted in God. He was absolutely convinced that God was on his side and that he was going to succeed in reconstructing the walls of Jerusalem. He also knew that he had to work incredibly hard, and to ensure that the city and its people were adequately defended. The opposition became intense that he had to halve his work force in order to release men to stand on guard. It must have been very frustrating not having everyone working on the wall, but he knew that it was vital for his workers to have adequate protection. Every now and again, I hear people say that because they trust God they don’t need to have insurance or make plans for the future. This sounds very spiritual and impressive on first hearing, but I don’t believe that that is how God intends us to live our lives. It certainly wasn’t the way Nehemiah lived. He could have

Nehemiah 3.10 NLT 'Next Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired the wall across from his own house, and next to him was Hattush son of Hashabneiah.' I vividly remember meeting a missionary for the first time. It was at a children’s mission in our local park and with huge excitement we were introduced to a real live missionary. He was everything that I was expecting. He had been serving God in the Amazon rain forest amongst a tribe whose language hadn’t yet been written down. He brought with him a long tube which was used by his new friends to blow poisoned darts at monkeys and other wild animals. Nothing surprised me. He had done an amazing job finding ways of telling these people that God loved them. It was clear to me that this is exactly what Jesus meant when he told his disciples to go to the ends of the earth. If God has told you to go to the ends of the earth then that’s great and I hope you get on really well there. But that wasn’t all that Jesus said. Jesus told his disciples to start in Jerusalem. M

Nehemiah 3:8 NLT 'Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes.' I am so grateful to Nehemiah for the careful way in which he reported the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. He gives us loads of fascinating details. He tells us that every kind of person got involved whatever their line of work, from priests to perfume makers. There is no reason to think that they had any background in building work but they wanted to play their part. Nehemiah clearly valued the work that they were doing and kept meticulous records of it. It is little wonder that under his inspired leadership the wall was soon rebuilt. It is so important for us to value every single person, because that’s precisely what God does. We don’t all have the same gifts but we all have a part to play. This is fundamental to the apostle Paul’s understanding of the church. He said that we are the body of Christ and that, therefore, every part of it is e

Nehemiah 2.19-20 NLT But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked. I replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall.” Everything seemed to have been going so well. Not only did King Artaxerxes give Nehemiah the leave that he requested but supplied him with wood for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nehemiah had then made the 1000-mile journey to the city and inspected the broken walls and found it just as he had been told. He called the people together and challenged them to rebuild the walls and they were eager to start. Surely everything would now flow beautifully – but no! Even before the building work started the opposition got going. The builders were mocked and ridiculed and had to face the dangerous allegation that their work would be an act of rebellion against the King. I love Nehemiah’s confidence. He brushed off the oppositio

Nehemiah 2.8 NLT 'And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.' Nehemiah’s appearance before King Artaxerxes went incredibly well. Not only did the King grant him all the leave that he wanted, but he gave Nehemiah letters to the governors of Trans- Euphrates to ensure his safe travel, together with access to the royal forest for wood to help with the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s response was that this happened because the gracious hand of God was on him. When things go well in our lives it is so important that we immediately turn to God in praise. If we have succeeded in sport we need to praise God for the gift of our bodies and the strength he has given us. If we have done well in our studies or business then we need to praise God for the skills and abilities that he has graciously given us which have made the success possible. If our families are healthy and doing well then we need to praise God for the way in which he graciously gave them to us in the

Nehemiah 2.4-5 NLT The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” This was a terrifying moment. King Artaxerxes noticed that Nehemiah was looking sad. He could tell that there was something troubling his wine taster but Nehemiah had to be very careful what he said. The King was extremely powerful and if he didn’t like the answer it could have been the end for Nehemiah. We then read that Nehemiah prayed. It must have been a quick one, indeed it is often described as an arrow prayer. In the previous chapter we saw Nehemiah praying at great length but now time is of the essence and he can only offer up the briefest prayer to God. Arrow prayers are good. It is a blessing that in the midst of our busy lives we can offer to God brief prayers knowing that he will hear us. But it would be tragic if those were the only kind of prayers

Nehemiah 1.11 NLT “O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honouring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favourable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” Nehemiah is on the verge of taking the boldest step of his life. He is going to ask King Artaxerxes, the mighty ruler of Persia, a question which might well land him in a lot of trouble. It could so very easily go wrong. In view of this, he brings his majestic and humble prayer to an end by making the bold request that God should grant him success. I think we often feel rather coy about the idea of asking God for success, but we needn’t feel that way because God loves to hear our prayers. He wants us to be completely honest as we address him and in a situation like Nehemiah’s it was absolutely right for him to make such a bold request. This wasn’t a selfish prayer. He was asking for success so that he could bless his Jewish brothers and sisters by restoring Jerusalem. If the King gran

Nehemiah 1.6-7 NLT 'I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.' My car has gone in for a service today. A few minutes ago, I received a video on my phone from the garage in which I saw a mechanic giving me a guided tour of the underside of the vehicle pointing out all of its imperfections and indicating the work that would be needed over the coming months. Whether I liked it or not, I needed to know the facts and face up to them. In a sense that’s what happens when we come into the presence of a holy God. The truth about our lives is suddenly revealed. The fact is that we are sinners and we live in a community that is sinful. Nehemiah knew that he had to be absolutely honest with God. At times we like to play games with ourselves and make out that we are really not that bad. We open the newspapers and compare ourselves with people who hav

Nehemiah 1.5-6 NLT “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer!” These words give us a wonderful insight into Nehemiah’s understanding of God. Everything that follows in this book flows out of these few words. Nehemiah’s courageous actions were the result of the way he understood God, and the truth is that it’s the same for us. Our understanding of God (or to use the technical term - theology) will shape the way in which we speak and act. Nehemiah knew the awesome greatness of God but in the same moment he recognised that he was a God of love who wanted to live in covenant partnership with him. The challenge that faced Nehemiah was enormous. He lived far away from Jerusalem where the problems facing the residents were colossal. Added to that, he held a very important and trusted position in the court of the Persian King Artaxerxes. It was almost unthinkable that the King would release him

Nehemiah 1.4 NLT 'When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.' Not surprisingly many people have a special affection for the book of Nehemiah. It offers us an engaging first- hand account of a man of huge courage and faith. Here we meet Nehemiah in Persia which was about 1000 miles away from Jerusalem, his ancestral home. Many years before Jerusalem had been attacked by King Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and much of the population had been taken off into exile. That must be as humiliating a punishment as could be imagined but for the Jews, for whom the land was a gift of God, it was an excruciating penalty. The people longed to return to their homeland and were eager for any snippet of news. On this particular day Nehemiah had heard the latest and it is a story of unrelieved misery. Although many of the exiles had returned to Jerusalem they were in great trouble and disgrace and the walls of the city were broken and the gates bur

Philippians 4.19 NLT 'And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.' Generosity is a beautiful thing. I had the blessing of a very generous aunt. She never married and was a devoted follower of Jesus. She was generous with her time especially to neighbours who were in need. Although she held a very senior executive role she was always happy to do the most menial jobs and would think nothing of it. She died whilst taking a neighbour to hospital and that seemed to sum up her life. She was always very generous with her money and was always looking for creative ways of helping people and planted firmly in my teenage mind the blessing of being generous. Christians are not automatically generous and the apostle Paul notes that the generosity of the Philippian church stood in marked contrast to many of the others. As he brings this letter to a close he thanks them once again for their gifts and describes them as being “a s