Refocus
While I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire. —Nehemiah 1:1A-3
When you lose
on what’s important it eventually stops being important.
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. —Nehemiah 1:4A
What’s
in your life?
God will use things that
to lead us to action.
O Lord, the God of Heaven, the Great and Awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer Your servant is praying before You day and night for Your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against You. We have acted very wickedly toward You. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws You gave Your servant Moses. —Nehemiah 1:5-7
is the first step to refocus.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. —I John 1:9
“To confess your sins to God is not to tell [God] anything [God] doesn’t already know. Until you confess them, however; they are the abyss between you. When you confess them, they become the bridge.” —Frederick Buechner
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. —Nehemiah 1:8-9