Scripture Verses that Caught My Attention Today: Nehemiah 6:11-13 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” 12 Then I perceived and saw that God had not sent him at all, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me.
Observation: Nehemiah could easily have gotten paranoid, but chose not to do so.
Application: It’s one thing to be wise, to be prepared, to be realistic, to understand that all is not perfect in the world. It is quite another to look for a monster behind every bush. In times of stress or concern, I sometimes find it helpful to address those concerns head-on with a couple of honest questions. 1) what’s the worst thing that could happen? 2) What if the worst did happen, then what? Sometimes I’ll also ask a third question of myself; how likely is it that the worst would happen?
Nehemiah realized that the worst thing that could happen in his case would be that perhaps there were people conspiring to kill him. If so, he figured, he did not want to be found and killed in the temple, hovering like a coward. Of course, as it turned out, the effort to persuade him to hide in the temple was a ploy for harm and not for good. Thankfully he did not succumb to the guise. It’s a good example for all of us to keep in mind.
Prayer: Lord, help me to have the courage, when needed, to remain rooted in you and in trust of your provision an insight. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings Today included: Nehemiah 5-6, Psalm 146, Luke 24)
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