Eden Day 10 Invitation To Conversation

April 29, 2022 by Sara Cissell Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Eden, Day 10

There is power in a question.
It’s an invitation to connect.
It’s a humble initiation of a conversation.

All of these make perfect sense to me as I reflect on my use of questions in recent interactions. Asking clarifying questions helped me better understand the work project my husband had begun. Asking the daughter of a friend her thoughts drew her into the conversation and helped bridge the gap between generations. Asking for the motivation behind a friend’s decision enabled me to infuse the conversation with grace in the midst of a challenging discussion.

Questions have power and can yield powerful results.
In Genesis 3:9-13, the Lord graciously asked Adam and Eve the first questions in Scripture.
Where are you?
Who told you that you were naked?
Did you eat from that tree that I commanded you not to eat from?
What have you done?

Consider the significance of the Lord asking questions.
God, the Creator of everything, asks questions which invite and allow us to engage with Him. He initiates conversation with us through questions. Is that mind boggling to anyone else? The infinitely powerful Lord, Who was, is, and is to come, chooses to interact with us. (Revelation 1:8)

Not only does He choose to interact with us, He does so with grace and mercy.

He did not ask Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” because He did not actually know where they were. The Lord knows all things (Psalm 139:1-4), but by His ask, He provided space for them to come to Him with their defenses down.

Have you ever experienced a similar interaction? Has someone asked you a question to which you both knew the answer, but you were given an opportunity to speak non-defensively?

Tone and timing have an incredible impact in this communication. When I visualize the Lord’s interaction with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, I picture the patient calm of a parent seeking to draw her child’s attention to a glaringly obvious mistake. As in, the mom asking her toddler where the cookie went while the visible crumbs still line the child’s lips.

By asking the question instead of declaring the failure, the ownership of the decisions made rested solely on Adam and Eve. A defensive response did not arise because the Lord’s approach revealed the sin, instead of attacking it.

The Lord asked a series of questions that fleshed out the first sin on earth. He lovingly removed the shame by addressing the failure while still treating Adam and Eve with dignity. He asked them to explain their decisions, He addressed their sin, and He conveyed the consequences of those decisions.

Because of the way the Lord engaged Adam and Eve, an open door for communication remained and a framework for dealing with sin was created.

These truths apply to us as well. When we sin, we must process through it with the Lord just as Adam and Eve did in Eden. The Lord invites our conversation and lovingly prompts us with His questions.

Why?

Because He desires us to engage with Him, and be transformed into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18) as our sin is washed clean through confession and asking for His forgiveness.

“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

Thousands of years after the first sin in Eden, when the Lord walked the earth as Jesus, His gracious invitation to conversation remained unchanged. To a woman caught in adultery and literally surrounded by predatory, self-righteous accusers, He responded with mercy, dismissing those who sought her death. (John 8:1-9)

Then, He invited her into conversation with two gentle questions.
“When Jesus stood up, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, Lord,’ she answered.
‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus. ‘Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.’
(John 8:10-11, emphasis mine)

Like Adam and Eve, like this woman, I know the Lord is after my heart when I sense the Holy Spirit ask me sweetly-convicting questions about my behavior, thoughts, or anything else. The sooner I confess my sin to Him, the sooner I experience restoration in our relationship. The process goes much quicker and more smoothly when I approach the Lord with lowered defenses.

Many times I have felt the Lord lift my head and invite me to talk with Him. Never once have I raised my eyes to look upon His gaze only to be turned away with condemnation. (Romans 8:1)

When you hear the Lord ask about your heart, know He is inviting you into deeper relationship with Him.

How will you answer His invitation to conversation?

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper! And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey! Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Eden Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Eden!

Sacrifice Day 1 Eden’s Sacrifice

March 28, 2022 by Michelle Brown Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 2
Genesis 3
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 18:1-12

Sacrifice, Day 1

Sovereign.

The supreme or highest in power, superior to all others.

Scripture often portrays God as the One who rules over all things. His most common proper name, Yahweh, is regularly translated Lord in English, and found thousands of times in the Bible. So, to discuss the sovereignty of God is to discuss His lordship.

When we consider the Biblical concept of divine sovereignty or lordship, the components of God’s control, authority, and presence stand out (John Frame, The Doctrine of God). God is absolutely sovereign. The Bible starts with God, “In the beginning, God [. . .]” (Genesis 1:1) There could be no glorious gospel of Jesus bearing our sins, without the glorious sovereignty of God.

In His sovereignty, God foresaw Adam and Eve’s sin.
He created them anyway, in His own image, to bring glory to Himself.
Just as humankind’s choice to pursue self over God was foreknown by God, Jesus’ crucifixion, and resulting atonement for our sin, was foreordained by God as well.
The crucifixion of Christ is the greatest sacrifice of the greatest love in the history of the world. (John 15:13)

God’s glory is displayed in the way He chose to create humanity, including allowing for our sinful nature. God weaves the allowable reality of sin with His perfect plan and uses it all for good.

Hundreds of years before Jesus would walk the the earth, the prophet Isaiah revealed how He would endure the cross for the joy of restored relationship with His creation.

“When you make [Jesus] a guilt offering,
[. . . ]the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.
After His anguish, He will see light and be satisfied.” (Isaiah 53:10-11)

The ultimate exhibition of God’s glory was at the cross, where His justice and mercy met.
As I ponder the weight of sin, I am looking at my own life. Just in the past forty-eight hours, I chose to put my wants over submission to my spouse; I usurped his God-given place as head of our family. In another situation, I am struggling with harboring unforgiveness in my heart against a sister in Christ. I know this is not pleasing to God.

I am not alone in these battles against sin.
Scripture reveals how the pattern of sin established in Eden pervades every single life.

“In this way, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
Yet in His sovereignty, God decided the story wouldn’t end in a world lost to sin.
Instead, He wrote sacrifice into the story of His creation.
In Eden, as Adam and Eve stood awash in shame before their Creator God,
He made the very first sacrifice.

“The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and He clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

One of His own wonderful creatures was sacrificed to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness.
And so sacrifice became a major theme of the salvation story, showing up throughout the Bible’s narrative, both in the Old Testament (Leviticus 1, for example) and New Testament.

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

We understand Christ’s death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice, and as recipients of such lavish love, we are compelled to emulate Him in our everyday lives. God desires us to be living sacrifices.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” (Romans 12:1)

A biblical sacrifice pleases God.
It is sacrifice of self, with a heart of surrender to God’s ways, that prioritizes the advancement of God’s kingdom, welcoming God’s purpose over our own wants or plans.
It is life, lived in conjunction with God’s will.

Today, we have taken a brief look at sacrifice from its origin in Eden, to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, to our own living sacrifices of true worship to our sovereign, glorious, loving God. My hope is we come away with a deeper gratitude for, and devotion to our God, who overcame the power of sin and death by sacrificing Himself for His beloved!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sacrifice Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Sacrifice!

The GT Weekend! ~ Wilderness Week 2

March 19, 2022 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

1) Israel was wandering in a literal desert and became so fixated on their perceived lack, they completely forgot the power, authority, and compassion of the God who lovingly freed them from 400-year slavery. Later, when Israel would finally cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the same God who compassionately cared for every need in the desert, instructed them to build a monument as a visible, tactile reminder of His good care for them. He promised He would provide, and in great abundance, He did exactly as He said He would. Looking at our struggles is easy. Choosing to complain flows effortlessly over our lips, but let’s choose to differently this weekend. Let’s be intentional to tabulate the goodness and mercies of the Lord. Maybe we will even post them on social media or share them with a good friend, our spouse, a child, a pastor, or a neighbor. May our lips declare the goodness of the Lord God who faithfully provides for every need! When we choose rejoicing and decide to set our gaze on the Giver instead of our perceived lack, suddenly the walls don’t seem to press quite as tightly. Rejoice, sisters, rejoice!

2) Set aside. Un-usable. Broken. Purposeless. Barren. Our hearts break as we think through the implications of each of these words in connection with our lives. Some wilderness experiences are more painful than others, but suppose the Lord intends to use each season as a pathway to rely on Him more deeply? For Sarah, the wilderness of her barrenness lasted into her nineties. I know I’ve called out, “How long, Lord?!” in my own seasons long before 90 years have passed! Finally, when the Lord told Sarah she would bear a son, she laughed in utter disbelief. I probably would have too! Despite her blatant doubt, the Lord remained faithful to do and finish the work He intended to do in and through her. How does this reality comfort and encourage you? If you clung insistently to the truth that God is steadfast in His work, would you be able to regain steady footing more quickly in everyday life? Prayerfully ask the Lord to remind you of a few scenarios that tempt you to doubt and question Him. Hold out your disbelief to the Lord and ask Him to anchor you in the truthfulness of His unchanging character!

3) Bethany shared of a wilderness season in her life when her family was caught between a promise and its fulfillment. Every avenue they pursued seemed to dead end; clarity for “next” seemed illusive at best. Which scene from your life best fits this description? Maybe you’ve shared tactics with Bethany as she desperately tried to throw potential solutions at her problems, only to end up more discouraged and lacking answers. If we naturally trusted God instead of ourselves, we wouldn’t need seasons of wilderness for God’s Spirit to teach us to depend on Him. But we do inherently trust ourselves. The Lord lovingly leads us into Wilderness Wanderings so we will stop trusting our failing humanity and instead place our faith on the unshakable God. Choosing faith in God over us requires much more time and practice than we would like to think. Consider doing something small and tangible every day to remind you to choose faith in God over relying on yourself. Maybe it’s memorizing a new Scripture or setting an alarm on your phone to pause and pray. Or maybe it’s simply drawing a heart on the inside of your wrist and with every glance you can remember to trust His heart over yours. Choosing Christ will always reap the greatest rewards!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Exodus 33:18-22 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.” He said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But he added, “You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.” The Lord said, “Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock, and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Prayer Journal
Around me, whether I’m currently in a desert wilderness, being pressed on all sides, or enjoying the dance of delightful days, You remain constant. My praise can rise to You regardless of the rhythm of my everyday life. Moses stood on the precipice of leading Your people deeper into the wilderness. So many unknowns stretched before him, and surely fear swirled around him, yet he knew his steadfast, anchoring hope was found in You. Lord, I ask You to cultivate this heart response to wilderness seasons in me. When I sense fear rising and my circumstances shaking, teach my lips to plead like Moses, “Please, let me see Your glory!”.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Wilderness Day 4 Job’s Wilderness & My Own: Digging Deeper

March 10, 2022 by Rachel Jones Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Job’s Wilderness & My Own!

The Questions

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)

Job 23:10-17

Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. ¹¹My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept to His way and not turned aside. ¹²I have not departed from the commands from His lips; I have treasured the words from His mouth more than my daily food. ¹³But He is unchangeable; who can oppose Him? He does what He desires. ¹⁴He will certainly accomplish what He has decreed for me, and He has many more things like these in mind.¹⁵Therefore I am terrified in His presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of Him. ¹⁶God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. ¹⁷Yet I am not destroyed by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.

Original Intent

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)
In Job’s biblical account, the Lord tested His servant by allowing him to lose his children, possessions, and health (Job 1:13-19, Job 2:7) John Piper explains that in testing Job, “God chooses to get an open victory over Satan for His own glory. A test will show that in the heart of Job God Himself is more highly esteemed than any possession or any family member.” God knew Job was a man of integrity who feared God (Job 1:8) and wouldn’t turn away from the Lord because of trouble. In fact, Job avowed, “When He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.” (verse 10) Although he wavered and struggled because of his difficulties, Job ultimately honored God with his actions and responses to the trials he faced. Job knew that just as gold comes out of intense fire pure and refined, he would come through the Lord’s testing better, wiser, and more steadfast in faith. (Job 42:1-7) Eugene Peterson remarks that when we go through suffering, our “lives are often transformed, deepened, marked with beauty and holiness, in remarkable ways that could never have been anticipated before the suffering.” Although Job was frustrated and discouraged, he did not curse God or give up, as he was encouraged to do. (Job 2:9-10) He complained and protested, but he held no anger against God at his great loss. (Job 13:15) Job knew God was worth more to him than everything else on earth. (Psalm 73:25-26) He respected God’s sovereignty and trusted His perfect will and plan. When we experience trials and troubles, we can follow Job’s example of trust in God and come through the struggles wiser, closer to God, and deeper in our faith.

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)
Job declared he was terrified of God (verses 15-16) because he witnessed the extremes of the Lord’s decrees for his life. God blessed Job with great wealth and happiness, but He also allowed Satan to test Job with multiple calamities that shook his faith. Because of this, Job developed a healthy fear, or deep awe-filled respect, of God and His power. Albert Barnes declares that God, “who has an eternal plan, and who is able to accomplish all that He purposes, and who makes known none of His dealings beforehand, should be an object of veneration and fear.” Job knew God held everything in His hands and can change everything as He sees fit in the blink of an eye. Job was awed by the sheer magnitude of God’s might. He realized that just as God can be amazingly gracious, He can also allow everything to be taken in an instant. This caused him to declare himself afraid of the Almighty. Job’s fear of God was not like the fear of man, which the Bible calls a snare. (Proverbs 29:25) God actually instructs the whole earth to fear the Lord. (Psalm 33:8) Scripture informs us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10) Having a reverential respect for God makes us happy (Psalm 112:1) and is a fountain of life to help us avoid the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27) Job was in awe of God’s greatness and sovereign power, which kept him from sinning against the Lord and allowed him to accept the good and the bad that came into his life. Job accepted that God knew more than him, and that God’s ways were better than his own; this reverence blessed Job’s life.

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)
After Job suffered from the testing God allowed, he declared himself “terrified of God and faint of heart”. (verse 16) Even so, he proclaimed he wasn’t destroyed by the “thick darkness that covers my face”. (verse 17) Job announced that though he was down for the count, he was not out. He endured the testing of the Lord and lived to tell the tale. He suffered immense loss, but he did not die and neither did he lose his faith. He survived to rebuild and thrive in the aftermath of the Lord’s dealings with him. Interestingly, Paul expressed something similar in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, when he wrote, “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.” James also wrote about troubles, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3) When God allows suffering, it is never without cause. Suffering produces endurance, like for Paul and James. Or like for Job, it can draw us closer to God. Ann Voskamp suggests, “That which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this place to the heart-aching beauty beyond. To Him. To the God whom we endlessly crave.” Thanks be to God for redeeming the painful tragedies of our lives and using them to bring us close to Him!

Everyday Application

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)
When I read Job’s belief that he will “emerge from his testing as pure gold” (verse 10), I think of the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. In Job’s case, he hoped he would be killed, or had never been born. (Job 3) Times could not have been harder for Job. He lost everything except his relationship with God. Through his trials he learned God was all he really needed, and that God was more important than anything. Eric Ortlund asserts that “When God puts us into a position where we must hold onto our relationship with God for God’s sake only—in which we stand to gain nothing but God—we start to receive him more fully than we ever had before.” When Job was tested, he clung to God. He questioned and complained and lamented, but he never turned his back on God. He recognized that whatever reason God had for testing him, he would come through the trials “as pure gold” because he trusted and hoped in God. Today our culture holds this hope that some good will come from going through hard times. The apostle Paul tells us that God works “all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes”. (Romans 8:28) Eventually, God blessed Job with more than he ever lost, working everything out for Job’s good and God’s glory. (Job 42:12) May we also see our hardships as opportunities to lean into God and realize He is truly all we need. (Philippians 4:19)

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)
I recently saw something I wanted; a 5-year planner. I love knowing what to expect; mapping out the next five years would be reassuring, even if it’s not realistic. Not knowing what to expect is slightly terrifying. It is so easy to expend time and energy trying to figure out what the future holds. Dread of the unknown also frightened Job. He went from having ten children and a valuable estate at the beginning of the day to having nothing by the end of the same day. Knowing God could change things so drastically at any time made Job realize how powerfulness and finite he was compared to God. He feared this All-Powerful God who could give and take away, but it was a righteous fear, a reverent respect for a God so far above his own ways and thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Although God’s ways are “unsearchable and untraceable” (Romans 11:33), we do have some idea of what to expect as God’s child. He doesn’t spell out His specific plans for us, but He proclaims they are good. He will give us a hope and a future in Him when we trust Him as our Savior. (Jeremiah 29:11) He also declares we will encounter struggle in this world, but He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) God lets us know what He wants us to do no matter what lies ahead; He created us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), which include being fair, faithful, and humble. (Micah 6:8) The truth giving me the most peace when facing the unknown is that no matter what happens, God is in control (Isaiah 14:24) and I can trust Him (Isaiah 25:1) As I continue facing uncertainty, I purpose to trust the God who gives, takes away, and is lovingly in control of everything.

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)
When something sorrowful happens, like the death of a loved one or the abuse of a child, people sometimes get angry with God or doubt His existence, questioning why He would allow such tragedy. For some, the pain and grief cannot be overcome and they sink into sorrow and despair. This could have happened to Job after losing his children, his possessions, his health, and his friendships. He had nothing left to lose but his life and his faith. Still, Job was not “destroyed by the thick darkness that covers my face”. (verse 17) He learned through the course of his trials that even through heartache, God could be trusted. Hannah Hurnard writes, “The High Places of victory and union with Christ can be reached by learning to accept, day by day, the actual conditions and tests permitted by God, by laying down of our own will and accepting His. The lessons [are] of accepting and triumphing over evil, of becoming acquainted with grief, and pain, and of finding them transformed into something incomparably precious.” When we endure suffering, we are drawn closer to God (Psalm 23:4, Psalm 34:18) and are made more like our Lord (Hebrews 12:10). No matter what God allows to enter into our lives, we know He is true and trustworthy. (Psalm 33:4) Suffering is “producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17), a reward in heaven that will be so much better than anything we could imagine on earth!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Job’s Wilderness & My Own!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Wilderness Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Build Day 15 Building Community

March 4, 2022 by Mary Kathryn Tiller Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 12:27- 13:31
Jeremiah 31
Deuteronomy 31:9-13
John 2:19-21
Revelation 7:9-10

Build, Day 15

Throughout this Journey Theme, we have witnessed Nehemiah, a devoted man of God, courageously leading the Jews through the difficult work of rebuilding Jerusalem following their return from exile. They have encountered significant odds and great opposition, but God protected them and granted them favor.

In today’s portion of Scripture, we gather with the remnant of Israel as they celebrate the completion of the wall of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12) Can you imagine? After a brilliant procession around the wall, joy-filled songs resound off nearby hills as the people gather to offer sacrifices, praising God for all He’s done.

While the procession, music, and festive clothing were undoubtedly beautiful, one of the most stunning aspects of the Jew’s celebration was the way it honored God. They were not merely celebrating their success and hard work, they were celebrating the incredible, impossible feats the Lord had accomplished through their hands.

We do this, too! Have you ever celebrated your accomplishments while giving glory to God? Of course, we no longer offer animal sacrifices, but we can honor God through our prayer, praise, and parties. Whether we gather as a church family for a night of worship or invite a few friends to celebrate in our home, we can honor God’s sovereignty, grace, and faithfulness by thanking Him publicly for all He has done.

A Bright Beginning
This was a new beginning for the Israelites, another opportunity to live in the presence of the Lord, to be His people, and serve Him well. They were hopeful for the Lord’s restoration and their obedience as they recommitted themselves to the Lord and gathered together to listen to His Law.

Since the time of Moses, God had instructed His people to read the Law aloud regularly, especially during festivals and celebrations. (Deuteronomy 31:9-13) God knew the forgetfulness of the human heart, and He intended this practice to serve as an anchor, lest His people become swept away by the festivities and fall into sin.

Indeed, when the Jews read the Word of God that day, they encountered a forgotten section: the command for no Moabite or Ammonite may worship among them as their hearts would be led away to worship foreign idols. We see them repent and respond immediately, ejecting foreigners from their temple. Their swift action revealed hearts responsive to God.

A Disappointing Ending
After such a beautiful celebration and communal time in God’s Word, it is tempting to imagine the Jews living happily ever after in the presence of the Lord. Instead, chapter 13 opens to a shocking turn of events. After leaving Jerusalem to serve the Persian king, Nehemiah returns to find everything he’d established just a few years before has been upended.

– The Temple storeroom, once overflowing with tithes of oil, new wine, and grain offerings, had been handed over as a personal “playroom” for Nehemiah’s enemy, Tobiah. (Nehemiah 6:1-2)

– With the storeroom occupied and nowhere else to bring their tithes, the people stopped giving, leaving the Levites in a lurch. Unable to provide for their families, the Levites were forced to neglect their temple duties and find work in the fields.

– Not only had the Levites abandoned their duties, but the Jewish merchants had abandoned the Sabbath, spending the holy day conducting business. And business was the least of it: the high priest’s own son had taken a pagan bride!

This is a painful and anti-climatic ending to what should have been a story of celebration and hope. What happened? What are we to glean from such a depressing ending?

The first lesson is this: even when things don’t turn out the way we expect, we can still praise God. Yes, the Jews quickly fell away from their fervent vows of obedience. However, their unfaithfulness does not diminish God’s faithfulness to them. God chooses to accomplish His plans through sinful people knowing we will stumble along the way.

The second lesson is this: even the greatest Bible teachers and the most beautiful churches cannot guarantee devotion to God. Nehemiah was a great leader and a righteous man, who accomplished many remarkable things! Yet, he couldn’t give the people what they needed most. More than a new temple, or a new wall, they needed new hearts.

While the book of Nehemiah leaves us wanting, that desire for redemption leads us to Jesus.

The Coming Kingdom
Some 400 years after Nehemiah, God sent a new Leader to establish a new Kingdom. Jesus. Like Nehemiah, Jesus would hold the Jewish people accountable and accomplish incredible works through the power of God.

While it took the Jews forty-six years to rebuild the temple, Jesus rebuilt it in three days. (John 2:19-21, Zechariah 6:12) Christ’s Kingdom, unlike Nehemiah’s, will be free from sin. In Nehemiah’s day, foreigners were excluded from worship, but in Jesus’ day, people from every nation and tribe will worship God together. (Revelation 7:9-10)

We began our journey with an amazing celebration between God and His people, but it didn’t last long. Thankfully, there is good news. Jesus will return, and when He does, a new era of rejoicing will dawn. Until then, Jesus is building a community of believers from all over the world, including you and me! One day we, too, will gather together and worship God for the incredible, amazing things He built through us . . . and that celebration will never end.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper! And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey! Comment Here!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Build Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Build!

The GT Weekend! ~ Build Week 1

February 19, 2022 by Mandy Farmer Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

Worship Through Journaling

1) The Apostle Paul tells us “We are His (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) On Monday, Lesley shared how Nehemiah saw a need and responded to it. God was already working in his life to prepare him as the one to lead Israel in re-building the walls around Jerusalem. I wonder how often we see a need but choose not to respond. We may feel the heartache, but do we take the next step? Nehemiah saw a great need and his heart was broken, but he didn’t stop there. His next step was going to the Lord in prayer and asking what He would have Nehemiah do to change the problem. He was willing to be used by God to further God’s justice and His kingdom. What great need do you see in our society? Are you willing to do more than shake your head and rant about the problem? Are you truly praying about it and asking God, “What can I do? I am willing to be used by You.”

2) Rebekah reminded us on Wednesday that “When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” The first step of wise planning according to Scripture is to “Commit your activities to the Lord”. (Proverbs 16:3) Without this critically important first step, we will not succeed with building according to the Lord’s plan; instead we will build our own kingdom. Once God has given us a plan, then we must keep it in the forefront. Satan loves to trip us up, sideline our focus, and discourage us, but if we continue to remind ourselves, “this is the Lord’s plan”, it helps us refocus and lean into His strength instead of ours. I love how Nehemiah said, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we His servants will arise and build.” This is exactly how we keep our eyes focused on His plan. Every January, I try to write my yearly goals. Then I find smaller goals within that framework to move towards each month and week. This involves asking God to direct my plans. Do you have some God-directed goals this year? Where can you post them as a reminder to stay focused?

3) Difficulty strikes, and what’s our immediate response? Get rid of it! Either return to the stage when it seemed we were moving forward without conflict, or, if the difficulty is severe enough, abandon ship! However, because the Lord God is sovereign and powerful and faultlessly good, He will always use the struggles of life, whether debilitating and tragic or mildly frustrating, for our good and His glory if we will surrender our building plans to Him. (Romans 8:27-28) When have you walked through a challenging season where it may have seemed the Lord was against you and the opposition was too strong? What were the prevailing doubts you wrestled with concerning the truth and promises of God during this time? As Nehemiah faced personal attack and stirred up trouble for obeying God, he held firmly to what he knew was true; he walked by faith. (2 Corinthians 5:6-7) Spend time reading a few psalms this weekend and keep a record of truths you discover about God. Lean into these truths as you walk by faith, even when you can’t see beyond today’s struggle.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Nehemiah 2:20 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“The God of the heavens is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start building…”

Prayer Journal
Lord God, You are the God of the heavens and You will make us prosper for your glory and not our own. Thank You for beginning a good work in me; I am trusting You are working in me even in this moment and will complete Your work both in and through me. Help me, Lord, to keep my focus on You. Help me to allow You to do the work and as I am your instrument. You worked through Nehemiah to accomplish the building of the wall. They needed to hold their tools in one hand and their sword in the other. May I keep the Sword of Your Word in one hand while I do the work laid out for me. Don’t allow me to become discouraged or give up, for You are faithful both to call us into Your work and complete the work through us. Amen.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music