I’ve never experienced a homecoming like the one enjoyed by the Jewish exiles returning to Jerusalem. Seventy years in captivity, many knew of Jerusalem only from stories. They returned to a broken city, and only through great effort rebuilt the walls and restored the temple.

The priests called an open-air meeting and read from the Book of the Law atop a high wooden platform. They explained the text and helped people understand the meaning behind the words.

As people listened they began to weep.

The service turned profoundly emotional. This group had left their captors, endured dangerous travel, joined in a massive construction project, restored abandoned houses, and fed families in the midst of it all. When they finally took a moment to breathe, the reality of God’s restoration hit them hard.

Nehemiah stopped the reading and gave these instructions: This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

Homecoming turned into Thanksgiving. God’s goodness overwhelmed these former exiles, and the joy of the Lord indeed became their strength.

Wonderfully, God’s joy can become my strength as well. If I listen, understand and practice His Word I can learn to recognize God’s hand in my life. Then his joy might seep out in ways I’m not expecting, much like that homecoming in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 8 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Guillaume de Germain

The “self-made man” is a great American myth. We champion those who rose from seemingly nothing to heights of greatness. But no one really rises from nothing. We all have help along the way, be it wise parents, or a teacher who uncovers our potential, or a mentor who pushes us farther than we thought possible. We need others along any path to success.

Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with the help of scores of others. Under his leadership, citizens joined together to accomplish a near impossible task.

Here’s a few lines from the description of the work carried out all along the remnants of the wall surrounding the city:

Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Next to him, Hashahiah carried out repairs. Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites…Next to him, Ezer repaired another section…Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section...

And on and on. The phrase next to him appears over and over as the writer describes the enthusiastic work put in by the men and women of Jerusalem. Despite fatigue and threats of violence, they finished the wall in an astounding 52 days.

I can set out to achieve great things on my own, and maybe I’ll get there. But to build things that last, like massive walls or a life of faith—especially a life of faith—I need to get shoulder to shoulder with good people.

I need to get next to him and go to work.

Nehemiah 3 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Lukas

I’ve been trying to resolve an issue with our cable company for several weeks now. When I call to talk to someone I get referred to a chat box on their website. The chat box on their website encourages me to call a representative. After the cycle repeats a time or two I yell into the phone and hang up. No one is present to hear my yelling, but I do feel better.

Prayer can feel like those fruitless calls to my cable company. Is anyone home? Does the Lord pay more attention to certain prayers than others? When I’m begging the Lord to act, what helps?

Nehemiah turned to the Lord with an unsolvable problem. Jerusalem lay destroyed and its people in disgrace. Holding no power, Nehemiah prayed. In fact, he sat and wept and fasted and prayed for days. As he prayed he laced his appeals with passages of scripture. Here’s an example:

Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, if you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.

In these lines Nehemiah refers to Leviticus 26:33 and Deuteronomy 30:4. As his prayer continues he brings in more and more of the promises of God. Nehemiah knew the Holy Scriptures and repeated them back to God. What better way to get the Lord’s attention than to pray his own words? Far from manipulative, the Lord recognized Nehemiah’s dependence as he prayed.

You and I can pray using scripture as well. I have a several verses recorded in the front of my journal that I pray regularly. One involves my media consumption: Turn my eyes away from worthless things (Psalm 119:37). Another I pray when threatened by anxiety: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6 & 7).

Scripture adds a powerful element to our prayers. If indeed the word of God is living and active, why would I not want to turn that power loose in my life?

Give it a try. Take your deepest concern, search the Scriptures for passages that speak to you about it (in your search bar type Bible passages on…), and pray those verses back to the Lord. Make it a habit, and your times of prayer will feel less like calling the cable company and more like talking with someone who actually listens.

Nehemiah 1 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Jandira Sonnendeck

Some concepts in the Scriptures intimidate me. I pause and wonder, how will this play out in the end? One of these involves the fact that the Lord sits on a throne anchored by righteousness and justice:

Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

On a daily basis I read stories of injustice, and I swipe to read of blatant disregard for right living. But thankfully, in our world justice is indeed carried out, and many give serious attention to living virtuous lives. The functioning of a healthy society depends on such, and blessed are the next generation raised with these values.

Still, ultimate justice escapes us, and flaunting morals remains celebrated. But that’s this day, and a new day is coming. It’s hopeful—and sobering—to know that ultimately we’ll all live under the justice and righteousness of the Lord.

Psalm 97 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Yume Photography