Encouraging Words: “Wake Up”

14 Jul Encouraging Words: “Wake Up”

ReadNehemiah 1

Thought for the Day: Pretending my problems don’t exist solves nothing.

We face moments where we remember an obstacle we had tried to forget and feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness. The business of today can lull us into forgetting (intentionally or unintentionally) about big-picture problems. But, these dilemmas can crash back into focus at the most inconvenient times. Simply trying to forget a problem doesn’t make it go away!

Nehemiah was a young Jewish man who had learned to thrive in captivity in Persia. He tried to forget that his beloved city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. The very fact that he lived in captivity hundreds of miles away was evidence enough that everything was not OK. Nehemiah lived in a fog and forgot about his people… until a relative showed up and reminded him.

Simply trying to pretend everything was fine, didn’t make it so. After all, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” Nehemiah’s inaction ended that day. He spent time in prayer and asked God for direction. Pretty soon, Nehemiah was on a mission to rebuild.

What about the times we find ourselves wanting to bury our heads in the sand like Nehemiah? Will we wait for someone to remind us of the truth? Or, are we able to wake up? We all face obstacles in our lives that look overwhelming to us but are easily solvable for God. Let’s learn to wake up and follow Him!

In Christ,

Pastors Stan and David