Nehemiah 7:1 - The wall is rebuilt in 52 days. Amazing! Wonder how they felt standing in this safe new place? Ezra led them to reaffirm their commitments to follow God's Plan A. No plan B within these walls. Will the people be tested and found faithful? Nehemiah knew that "the greatness of their work is not measured by the results they see but by their faithfulness to Me. Whatever is done to know Me and make Me known, to advance My purposes, is a great work. And I will use every great work done by My people no matter how small it seems, to further My great plan." Plan A. 66 LL.
This post so reminds me of you, my friends. Some of the "results" you witness this day in your marriage, your children, your friendships are not the results hoped for! Life hasn't turned out the way you thought it would as you close some chapters. But it is your faithfulness to your God in the midst of not having what your soul longs for. Your willingness to let your heart break and love that person to your grave. The greatness of your work is your faithfulness to a Good God in the midst of His silence. Will He find faith when He comes? Luke 18:8. I think He has!
Beautiful exhortation, Bev. Results not common to man - and so like God, the uncommon, the holy becomes the goal. And the results are revealed by the heart, not any physical manifestation.
ReplyDeleteI read today to my friend who has metastatic breast cancer the list on page 69 of 66LL and we both cried at what all He does on our behalf and the degree to which He extends Himself to us, doing whatever it takes to complete the life-giving work in our hearts that He has already begun. And we will soon be dancing at that Party!
Thank you for coming over to annie's eyes and not just requesting prayer but praying with me. Something holy is palpable on that page of prayer comments, and I am in awe of the presence of His Spirit in those sweet prayers.
CS Lewis in "The Efficacy of Prayer" writes:
Infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best, and infinite goodness needs no urging to do it. But neither does God need any of these things that are done by infinite agents, whether living or inanimate. He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers; or knowledge without the aid of learned men; or convert the heathen without missionaries. Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and muscles, minds, and wills of men to cooperate in the execution of His will. "God," said Pascal, "instituted prayer to lend to His creatures the dignity of causality."
God is so good through prayer to let us in on His Plan A, and allow us to keep asking questions and give us new understanding of His Ways.
Your words make me want to pray.
ReplyDeleteYour life makes me want to worship.
Friday is graduation. I just posted about it on my other blog and I wept buckets. oh my oh my oh my! How will I make it through graduation without a tear?
Reading p. 69 to your sweet friend just took my breath away. Crying a few more tears over here for Cathy and you as you trust an Unseen Hand on your journey!
70-72 Some of the heads of families made voluntary offerings for the work. The governor made a gift to the treasury of 1,000 drachmas of gold (about nineteen pounds), 50 bowls, and 530 garments for the priests. Some of the heads of the families made gifts to the treasury for the work; it came to 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver (about one and a third tons). Gifts from the rest of the people totaled 20,000 drachmas of gold (about 375 pounds), 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 garments for the priests.
ReplyDeleteAn offering of garments for the priests.
Thinking on the priesthood of the believer in Christ.
What are we clothed in?
A robe of righteousness, cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
How costly our priestly garments are.
He is making us holy.
Bev and Annette, thank you. Your words posted here are blessing me so much.
And all of you other priests through Jesus, holiness is a beautiful garment to wear. Not holy because of our goodness, holy because of His washing us with His blood. No spots are too stained for His blood to remove.
Oh, how I love Him. Sometimes I think the veil that was removed from the Holy of Holies was there to hide His Love. In this New Covenant...His Love has burst forward like the sun. It cannot be hidden. It is unveiled to us. We are free to experience His Love. Grace reveals the most powerful force ever...the Love of God through Christ His Son.
How He loves us...