Focus
As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.
Read
Nehemiah 9:6-15 (NRSV)
And Ezra said: “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. To all of them you give life, and the host of heaven worships you. You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham; and you found his heart faithful before you, and made with him a covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite; and you have fulfilled your promise, for you are righteous.
“And you saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea. You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted insolently against our ancestors. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. And you divided the sea before them, so that they passed through the sea on dry land, but you threw their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. Moreover, you led them by day with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the way in which they should go. You came down also upon Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and you made known your holy sabbath to them and gave them commandments and statutes and a law through your servant Moses. For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you swore to give them.
Reflect
Our family, as is true for most families, has its ups and downs. We have struggled with job losses and the resulting financial stress, health concerns and depression. It is very easy to lose sight of God when you are in the midst of difficult life situations.
Nehemiah was reminding the people of how God had cared for them—creating the earth and all that is in it, raising up faithful ancestors such as Abraham and Moses, rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, providing for their needs as they journeyed to the Promised Land, and making a covenant with the people.
From time to time we all need to be reminded of how God has acted in our lives and how God has proved to be faithful throughout history. For my family, God has provided what we needed when we needed it—a short term job that paid enough to meet an extra bill, a refund from unclaimed property of which we had been unaware, and support and encouragement from friends, family, and co-workers.
As you reflect on your life, where do you see God at work? How might those insights impact your present situation?
Pray
God, thank you for your faithfulness in all things. Forgive us when we doubt your willingness or ability to provide for our needs. Amen.
Go with God!
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