TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” Nehemiah 2:1b-2a
Read: Nehemiah 2:1-3
Listen: Nehemiah 2
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Nehemiah is deeply saddened about Jerusalem and the people’s living situation there. He gives himself time to grieve. He hears the news in the month of Kislev (Nehemiah 1:1) but doesn’t take steps forward until the month of Nisan, four months later. He is obviously still grieved but willing to courageously reveal his sadness to the king. He knows sadness won’t rebuild the wall in Jerusalem and decides to begin taking steps to get started.
Deep sadness can push us toward two common pitfalls. One is avoiding it by numbing ourselves with busyness, substances, relationships, etc. The other is to get stuck in the sadness and not move beyond it. Nehemiah models a response that avoids both. He grieves without numbing his pain (the king can see it on his face) AND at the appropriate time, Nehemiah takes steps to move beyond the sadness. The timeframe for moving forward will differ for each of us. Some of us have grieved appropriately and it’s time to begin forward movement. It’s time to call a counselor, invite someone to help our marriage, send that first job application, go to AA or pick a Bible reading plan. It’s time to rebuild.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Consider what one step you might need to take today. Write in your journal what God brings to mind and commit to begin taking that step today. If you are struggling to figure out how to move forward, pray and ask God to show you the way. If you would like to talk to someone, please email care@adabible.org. We would love to chat with you and come alongside you as you seek to move forward.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
October is SERVING. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
