161 - "The Sound of Rejoicing Heard Far Away" Nehemiah 11-12

 Remember me, O God, 

and have compassion on me

 according to the Greatness of Your Love. Nehemiah knew in his heart that he was doing a great work for God, brick by brick, little by little. What's so beautiful about Nehemiah is that his heart was broken for the things that matter. It wasn't for himself, his own suffering. His heart broke for the people and the preservation of their holiness. Nehemiah did a great work. Yet, not too long after that, Nehemiah finds the people not taking worship seriously. Personal Gain. Personal Peace. Personal Affluence. Nehemiah was sustained by God and kept on persuading the people to repent. And, he dealt with his own heart so beautifully. "And what stirs you most deeply? Is it advancing your plan for your life or My plan for My world? Is it finding a way to get your spouse to understand how abandoned you feel or revealig the character of My Son as you deal with your troubled marriage? Is is a concern to live as comfortably as possible in the immediate mess or to live out your calling to be holy in the midst of the mess? 66LL. Remember me, this day, O God!

"The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away." Neh 12:43. They were so happy to be protected. 

PHOTO:  Taken in Texas on a friend's lovely farm. Rejoicing. 

160 - “Tender to the Word of God” Nehemiah 9-10

                                                                

Live in the tension. Revive us, O God, in your ways, the psalmist once said. “We will not neglect the house of our God.” Neh 10:39.  No hidden agendas in this crowd. All about advancing the Kingdom of God. Not about advancing own agendas. What stirs in me most deeply? Is it advancing God's Kingdom or my own? Is it about putting closure on these financial problems I have or revealing the character of God in the midst of them? Is it about getting people to recognize you, understand you, accept you into the "in" crowd or is it about revealing the Beautiful God for whom we live. 2,000 years pass and it's the same questons: Will you neglect the house of God? Will you neglect the temple of the Holy Spirit living in you? 

They were so tender to the Word of God ... they cried when it was read.
I just love that! And I so want that!
That I would cry more over the Word than over my circumstance.
And God said, don't grieve.
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
It is the strength that comes from knowing Him and His Word.
Make it your chief study again cause I need the Strength
that only He can give.  I just hit another low! 

159 - "Don't Make It Relevant, Make It Real" Nehemiah 7-8

Whether it is raining in our hearts, torrential rains,
Or if the clouds are pulled back for a day.
God has all of this set in motion for our gain.
May we so surrender to Divine Providence and His Way. 

Nehemiah comes back to Jerusalem after he finishes building the wall. He has a great calling to build a city, not just a wall. Nehemiah 7:16. "Nehemiah knew that the safety of a city, under God, depends more upon the inhabitants than upon its walls." M.Henry. Nehemiah knew their biggest enemy was not on the other side of the wall but in their sinful hearts. Let us guard against sin. Let us guard against living for this present world. When did we start having to make things relevant to reach people? When did we start having to entertain people to draw them in? Lower the lights, soften the music, make the message relevant, and whatever do you, don't offend the churchgoers. Wondering this Sabbath Day what God thinks of all that is going on in the name of Christianity in our world today? Let's deal with our own hearts this Sabbath. Finish our own wall. Guard against our own sin. The Lord is near.

PHOTO: Torrential rains or pulled back clouds, God has set it all in motion. Make it real.

158 - "Put God's Name on Every Face You Meet" N

There is a relationship that I am wrestling through where I want someone to change for their good.  I'm so adamant that they are wrong and I believe I am right.  But that's not the issue anymore.  What stirs me from this book is that I must reveal to them the character of our Good God and not try to move them to change by my words, my prayers, my actions.  Of course, I should hope and pray for their good, their transformation, with all my heart. But I'm so stuck on them changing that I've become unbecomingly arrogant and quietly demanding. Back in the close of the Book of Ezra, Crabb wrote:  "There's always a way back from sin.  Tears of hope will flow every time you experience My Loving Mercy when you fail...Ezra's burden for holiness led to tears of repentance."  What deeply disturbs me?  What are these tears that flow?  Tears of Hope?  Tears of Repentance?  I think they might be tears of pain. 

Nehemiah 7:5 - God put this in Nehemiah's heart to assemble the people.  So, Nehemiah rebuilt the wall and set the doors in place, then he assembled priests, and gatekeepers, and musicians.  He took this ministry to the utmost place.  A common wall around an unimpressive city around a tiny town population around blue collar people.  Surrounded by mocking laughs and words to which Nehemiah replied:  "I am doing a great work."  Neh 6:3.

157 - "Brick by Brick for the Little Broken People" Nehemiah 1-3

                                                              

It may be small, brick by brick, but it's a great work. Nehemiah 1:6 - Oh God! Let your ears be attentive and your eyes be open to the prayers we offer you this day. Nehemiah heard about a broken down wall and prayed. What is broken in our lives? What does God keep hearing us say over and over and over, do not stop, O God! I love it that Nehemiah moved forward and built a wall.nAnd Nehemiah thought he was doing a "great work" for God. Whatever we do out of sincere hearts to know You and make You known---it is a great work, a great privilege. May we be more concerned with the little great works we are doing than what we are receiving. May we be more concerned with loving others than what they are doing to us. May we be more concerned with advancing God's Kingdom than managing our lives well. Psalm 25:15-16 ~ O God, Our eyes are ever on You. You can release my feet from the snare that I am in.  Trapped. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me, from myself and from my sin, from what I want. O God, hear these out-loud words of mine.

Cup-bearer to the King of Persia.  Nehemiah lived in luxury.  Wanting for nothing.  The good life.  A place of honor, sitting next to the King.  

Yet.
He never forgot the suffering of his people.  He heard of it.  He went for it.  He responded to it.
What can I do this day to show kindness to you?  We all have problems---we live with ourselves, we know it.  When a noble reaches down to a commoner, he makes the heart of God glad.  No respecter of persons here.  No big people and little people for Nehemiah.  Just a very big heart for his God.

So.
He inquires about how they are really doing.  Makes me want to go inquire.
And as soon as he hears, he presents his first application to God not man:  Nehemiah 1:4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

PHOTO:  The Great Divide in my life.  I will remember this story of Nehemiah 1 forever.  It's a pivotal point for me.  Another great divide of longing to pray.  Present your 1st application to God not man.

156 - "We Blush For Our Iniquities Have Risen Higher" Ezra 10

This is the city where I live, Austin

All our days are made up of brief moments.

May they be brief moments of grace shown by God.

God has appointed our times and places.

He is giving us a peg in His Holy Place opening eyes.

Dear God, We can be swept away by terrors in a moment. We can be filled with grace in that same one. Come Lord Jesus in our brief moments of this life You have appointed. Show us this day in the city where we live, a brief moment of grace.

There is Hope for our Sin. Ezra 10:2.  Oh my goodness.  This so speaks to me right where I am today.  I may be 10 percent wrong in an argument, a disagreement, an exchange---however---if they are 90 percent wrong, I can only deal with myself.  And God says it right here...hope for our sin.

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.  From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt.  Ezra 9:6.  And the LORD listened to them.  That's it.  God is listening to me this evening as I want to give up on Christmas and it hasn't even happened yet.  What am I really saying?  Sometimes, I think I'm saying that the pain is too great.  And just how did I get to this place?

 “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” We will never forsake our God.  So, what's the alternative----either God's Hand is on us or not.  And His Hand is on each of us this day for good.  I have to believe that.

Ezra made confessions. Begged forgiveness.
Ezra 10:1
Therein lies the beauty of his obedient life.

Father, here is a telling story of Your mercy and kindness and love toward the life of this Ezra.  May we apply ourselves to study the Word, to do the Word, to teach the Word.  Help us this day dig deep within to make confession to you for missing the mark.  Oh God, we long for Your Hand on our lives.  Acceptance with peace for what You have gifted our way.  I'm so shaken tonight by my own mess.  Help us find a beautiful hope to press in, press on.

PHOTO: The city where I live. Austin. Peg by peg. Hope for our sin.

155 - "Don't Make Over Others to Get Them to Like You" Ezra 8-9

Ezra 9:2 "The leaders led the way in this betrayal."  The exiles were plunged into a sea of joy in one chapter praising God, then in chapter 9, they are betraying the God they just exuberantly praised.  This band of escapees entered and embraced the lives of those who are not holy.  Ezra's response?  Ezra 9:3 When I heard all this, I ripped my clothes and my cape; I pulled hair from my head and out of my beard; I slumped to the ground, appalled.

Ezra prayed. 
Ezra fasted.  
Ezra wept.  
HE listened.
God, You allowed this battered band to get a firm foothold.  
God, You put us in good graces and gave us a heart to restore The Temple.  
But, Ezra 9:10 says:  "We have thrown your commands to the wind even though the prophets said, 'Don't cultivate their good opinion; don't make over them and get them to like you...don't build your own money and a tidy estate.' "  Don't I cultivate the good opinions of others?  Do I make over them to get them to like me?  What's beneath that?  I think about pursuing a full-time job soon and find myself  "making over" others because the job market is not in my favor. What do I want more than my Christ?  A job.   Can I just trust HIM and know HE doesn't need my help to make others holy.  Faithful is HE Who called and HE will do it.  HE is looking to restore repentant hearts.

PHOTO:  Ezri and Bev at Disney World this year.  Oh my!  I want you to like me so bad, Ezri!  I want my world to like me, way too much.  I'll even barter to get then to like me.  I have to give this up. These verses have my name all over it.  God does not need my help to deal with other people and their responses.  Let it go.  

154 - "Make Confessions" Ezra 6-7

               

Meanwhile.
This Ezra...
Skilled in the Law of Moses.
The Hand of the Lord his God was on Him.
Ezra 7:6

Yes, the Good Hand of his God was on him.
Ezra 7:9
For Ezra set his heart
to study the Law of the Lord,
and to do it & to teach God's Word in Israel.
Ezra 7:10

Father, here is a telling story of Your mercy and kindness and love toward the life of this Ezra.  May we apply ourselves to study the Word, to do the Word, to teach the Word.  Help us this day dig deep within to make confession to you for missing the mark.  Oh God, we long for Your Hand on our lives.  Acceptance with peace for what You have gifted our way.  I'm so shaken tonight by my own mess.  Help us find a beautiful hope to press in, press on.

PHOTO: The Word:  Study. Do. Teach. Live. Love.

153 "Don't Offer Principles and Insights; Offer A Redeemer" Ezra 3-5

           

Ezra 4:4-5 The Samaritans reared up their ugly heads at the building of the temple.  Satan shows up to discourage and undermine and bribe those who want to do good.  These returned revived revelers were beautiful exiles and so full of joy.  But, they were so targeted by the enemy of their souls.  Let us remember that that the god of this world seeks to devour our attempts to walk and worship.  He is out looking for good intentions.  And our fatal flaw is not looking into our own souls when opposition bombards our temples.  

We are all looking for a Redeemer.  But the nails and mortar and curtains and boards trap us into finding our worship on paths that are going straight to destruction---like the offer of these Samaritans. "We must not offer people a system of redemption, a set of insights and principles. We offer people a Redeemer."  Paul David Tripp

The Redeemer in the New Testament. Seeing the face of Christ dazzled Paul to the things of Another Country. It took his eyes off of this world and what he was doing to make this world work. Dazzled by the Holy One. Blinded and offered eternal hope. And Paul cooperated to the fullest extent with the One Who held his hand. Acts 9:9

Who are You, Lord?" asks Saul in Acts 9:5---this one who asks is:
the unmerciful young man who applauded Stephen's stoning, 7:58
the proud Pharisee who wreaked hail and havoc on the church, 8:3
the heartless blasphemer whose very breath slew slaughter, thrashed threats, 9:1.
No one would believe that this wretch could now be a follower.

Now.
"A chosen vessel unto God."  Acts 9:15.
And I weep.
I weep for myself
who has been saved from myself.
I weep for my children
who need to be saved from themselves.
I weep for us all.
That we may bear The Name.
"This Signal Token of the Divine Favor of God, 
by inward working of His Grace" (M. Henry)
in all of us!

We all admire things on this earth more than God.
We all want things more than we want God.

That's evident of the problem of man.

PHOTO: Graffiti in Austin. The graffiti of our soul. What words will we write today in this story we live.

152 - "Don't Look for Coaches; Look for Elders to Lead You Into The Presence of God" Ezra 1-2

 

1:1 "In the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, God prodded Cyrus King of Persia to make an official announcement throughout his kingdom." God stirred up Cyrus to permit any willing Israelite to return HOME after 70 years of Babylonian captivity.  I just wept as I read names of clans of over 50,000 people who had been held captive.  There's something in me that is moved when I hear of captives like my friend Cyd and her driver were taken captive and murdered in Afghanistan --- and her body was just sent back to the U.S. from Afghanistan, 15+ years later. These 50,000+ stable people of substance (remember how they didn't take the very poor captive but allowed them to work the land) are on their way home.  Oh my!  Restored physically.  But there already has been a spiritual restoration or they wouldn't come home to praise God like they have!  Ezra 3:11 "God is good; He will never quit loving us."

As we close the book of 2 Chronicles, we find a restored people in the book of Ezra longing for holiness, His Presence.  Something happened to them in captivity---"suffering is necessary until evil is finally banished...suffering opens the holy space in your soul that will be filled only when you're dancing with Me..."  66 LL.  And I'm reminded of Crabb's quote that ended the chapter:  "Don't look for experts to coach you in how to make your life work before you follow elders who will lead you into My Presence."  What are we really looking for in life?  "I want My people to know this:  if even in small ways you live to 'fix your life,' to arrange for your own pleasure in ways that violate holiness, your love for a better life now will eventually corrupt your love for Me."  66 LL.  The question Jesus will ask in about 400 years comes to mind:  John 1:38 - "What do you seek?"  What do I seek this day?

Ezra 3:11 - And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But the old men wept loud. Duplicity of voices coming out of captivity. What it must have felt like.

And Jeremiah's prophecy lives. And the prophets reign while the crowns fall off the head of kings. And these dry bones live again, love again. 

What about my own dry bones.

 Have we inquired of God today to come alive, stay alive. 

What stirs in my heart tonight?   Ezra 3:13

So much joy in my heart---it is God, if you only knew my circumstances.
It's the end of another year and a time of reflection.
I am so overwhelmed with what God has done in my life this year.
Col. 1:29 - What stirs in us?  The Power of the Energy of Christ,
if we just let it be. 
God stirred Ezra to rebuild the temple.
When they saw the foundation laid,
the people wept.  Loud!  Wonder why?
They loved Someone more than the blessings.
The priests and Levites, people who so desired to be holy,
they wept so hard, it was indistinguishable.
What beautiful passion if it was for God and not for themselves.
Who knows?
But I come back to the question . . .
What stirs in me today?
It's been one of the best years of my life.
And we've been stripped of quite a few things.
Stripped and filled by God. 
Oh, to live like Ezra did:
"Ezra was deeply distressed by My people's compromise
more than by their troubles.  His burden for holiness led to tears
of repentance and to his refusal to eat or drink as he grieved
My people's evil."  66LL
Oh, to live like that.

PHOTO:  A tiny country church. Wish it were my husband’s church.