Can you feel the hand of God on you? What does the hand of God feel like? Is the hand of God heavy on you? Does it bring peace, fear, or awe? When you feel it do you feel so antsy that you absolutely have to take action to do something? Do others see the hand of God on you and do they immediately want to help you, or perhaps to thwart you?
Nehemiah in Chapter 1 recorded several times that he felt the hand of God on himself. Following are the events leading up to him feeling it:
Nehemiah was an exiled Israelite cupbearer to the king of Persia. When he heard of the plight and distress of his people in Jerusalem his heart was very heavy.
Nehemiah wept and prayed day and night for his people and Jerusalem.
Artaxerxes, the king of Persia saw Nehemiah’s sadness and asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah said that he was sad for his people and for the broken down walls of Jerusalem which gave easy access to enemies. He wanted to return to Jerusalem to help his people. Artaxerxes granted his request and made him governor of his homeland.
When Nehemiah went by donkey around the city walls and returned he told the Jerusalem officials the following (verse 18): "And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good to me, and also the king’s words that he had spoken to me.”
Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and others tried to thwart the hand of God working in Nehemiah to rebuild the wall and help the Israelites, but the hand of God was too strong and the wall was built to protect Jerusalem from it’s enemies, and the people celebrated.
Several things we can surmise from the story of Nehemiah:
1. When we are broken and pray to God He hears us.
2. He wants to put His hand on each of us.
3. God’s hand on us is good.
4. God wants to use His hand on us to inspire us to do great things for Him.
See you next time,
Arlen
Nehemiah recorded the following (verse 8): “And the king granted them (materials to rebuild the wall) to me according to the good hand of my God upon me”.
When Nehemiah went by donkey around the city walls and returned he told the Jerusalem officials the following (verse 18): "And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good to me, and also the king’s words that he had spoken to me.”
Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and others tried to thwart the hand of God working in Nehemiah to rebuild the wall and help the Israelites, but the hand of God was too strong and the wall was built to protect Jerusalem from it’s enemies, and the people celebrated.
Several things we can surmise from the story of Nehemiah:
1. When we are broken and pray to God He hears us.
2. He wants to put His hand on each of us.
3. God’s hand on us is good.
4. God wants to use His hand on us to inspire us to do great things for Him.
See you next time,
Arlen
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