READING: Nehemiah 12-13
Today is a day for rejoicing. We’re just like the Hebrews, waffling in our commitment to a God who never waffles in His commitment to us. He helps us to rebuild that which falls because of our sin, and He allows us to rejoice again when His work is done. That’s what the people of God did when they dedicated the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra.
They set up two choirs “to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other” (Neh 12:24). They celebrated joyfully, walking on the wall and then proceeding to the house of God where they were “rejoicing because God had given them great joy”; in fact, “the women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away” (Neh 12:43). Just the repetition of rejoicing, joy, rejoiced, and rejoicing in verse 43 is enough to help us hear the praises echoing from God’s people in that day.
We have so many reasons to rejoice today. Even if life is hard, we have the assurance of eternal life. God still forgives us when we sin. He remains the rebuilding God who takes our ruins and makes us over again. He holds our hand when we try to pull ours away. We cannot fall so far that He does not see where we are — and He frees us from our bondages and restores us to Him. How can we not sing His praises loudly?
Why is it, then, that we sometimes cannot even hear each other when we sing together on the Lord’s day? It seems to me that, too often, the voices of our praise cannot be heard very far away from our gathering places. That makes little sense to me.
ACTION STEPS:
- Begin to prepare to worship this coming Lord’s day by praising God all day today.
- Get over your arrogance if it keeps you from singing His praises loudly.
PRAYER: “God, we pray with Nehemiah as he closes his book, ‘Remember me with favor, my God.’”
TOMORROW’S READING: Esther 1-5
