Accepting Reality

05 May Accepting Reality

Read Nehemiah 4:15-23

Thought for the Day: God has given me all I need to faithfully follow Him!

In the Old Testament times, a man named Nehemiah made a tough decision. At the time, he held a high position of influence as the personal assistant to the King of Persia. However, his beloved hometown of Jerusalem lay in ruins and the Israelite people were in complete chaos. Rather than ignoring the problems around him and simply enjoying his status, Nehemiah saw that his position gave him the opportunity to faithfully follow God. He could rebuild Jerusalem and lead the people back to worshipping God. So, he left with the King’s permission. After the journey back, Nehemiah faced a new reality: some living in and around Jerusalem had no interest in seeing the city rebuilt or the focus put back on God.

Rather than fighting with his opposition, including those who sought to do him physical harm, or retreating to Persia, Nehemiah took a third approach: he realized that God had given him everything he needed to continue even under difficult circumstances. So, Nehemiah instructed half of the people to build and the other half to defend the city: “From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall.” Rather than resorting to fight or flight, Nehemiah accepted reality. God had given him a mission to rebuild the city. While enemies had gathered to sabotage this effort, God had also given Nehemiah exactly what he needed to get the job done!

Do we find ourselves entering situations either fighting or fleeing instead of trusting God and accepting our circumstances? Let’s stop overthinking it and start following in the footsteps of Nehemiah. When we face trying circumstances, we can stop trying to do everything ourselves and instead rely on the people and resources God has placed in our lives. When we accept reality and remember that God has an incredible plan for each of our lives, anything is possible!

In Christ,

Pastors Stan and David