"0 LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years. "
Habakkuk 3:2
TRICKLE, OR SHOWER?
Read It: Nehemiah 8:1-18
Remember how exciting it was to buy that first home and get all moved in? Well, chances are you've lived in that home long enough now to know that a new structure does not necessarily solve all your problems. Many people who have bought houses are still trying to turn them into homes. The reality is that unless you fix the folk who are occupying these houses, you have not resolved your problem. That's something of the situation Nehemiah and the people of Israel were in by the time we come to chapter 8. They had accomplished a great feat by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, making it a safe place to live, and restoring-the-honor of God's name. They had fixed the city. Now it was time to fix the people who would be living in Jerusalem by calling them to confess their sins and rededicate cate themselves to the covenant and the Law of God. These people had been exiles, so they were starting over in their homeland. They needed to hear God's Word again and get their lives in line with it. Nehemiah, with Ezra the scribe, was intent on preparing the people spiritually, getting them ready for revival. That's exactly what broke out in Nehemiah 8-10 as a spirit of revival moved among the people. The revival started when the Word of God was opened and read to the people, and they responded by donning rough sackcloth and putting dirt on their heads as signs of repentance (9:1).
Then prayer kicked in as a period of confession and worship broke out and the Israelites humbled themselves before God. It's in this setting that the great prayer of 9:5-38 was offered, probably bly led by Ezra. We're going to study this prayer during the week because it has so much to teach us about the subject. We're hearing a lot of talk about revival today. Thankfully, a lot of people ple are also praying hard for revival. That's often the way it starts. And the more people pray, the more seriously they take God. How's your "serious ous quotient" when it comes to Him today? Think About It If God responded to your prayers based on their seriousness and the intensity with which you prayed, would the resulting answer be a trickle or a shower?
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