Read Nehemiah 11 – 13
Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. Nehemiah 13:11 KJV
After twelve years as governor of Jerusalem, according to promise, Nehemiah returned to the king in Persia for an undisclosed period of time. One would hope that during his absence, having accomplished so much in living and building for God that things would continue to go well, but that was not the case, for the people of Jerusalem quickly slipped back into old sins. When Nehemiah returned he found the people had failed to remain separate from their enemies, failed to maintain their religious duties, and had forsaken the Temple. What a sad commentary. If only we could learn from their bad example. We still befriend the world, grow lax in our religious duties, and turn from God. Our greatest enemy is not those from outside the faith, or even those among us, our greatest enemy far too often is ourselves, because of our tendency to move from God and slip back into sin.
Lord, help me remain personally true to You, not because there is a Nehemiah figure in my life, but because You deserve it. You are longsuffering and full of grace. And Lord, help me be like Nehemiah, one who encourages faithfulness among Your people.
