Be Still And Know

Nehemiah 3.10 NLT 'Next Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired the wall across from his own house, and next to him was Hattush son of Hashabneiah.' I vividly remember meeting a missionary for the first time. It was at a children’s mission in our local park and with huge excitement we were introduced to a real live missionary. He was everything that I was expecting. He had been serving God in the Amazon rain forest amongst a tribe whose language hadn’t yet been written down. He brought with him a long tube which was used by his new friends to blow poisoned darts at monkeys and other wild animals. Nothing surprised me. He had done an amazing job finding ways of telling these people that God loved them. It was clear to me that this is exactly what Jesus meant when he told his disciples to go to the ends of the earth. If God has told you to go to the ends of the earth then that’s great and I hope you get on really well there. But that wasn’t all that Jesus said. Jesus told his disciples to start in Jerusalem. M

Nehemiah 3:8 NLT 'Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes.' I am so grateful to Nehemiah for the careful way in which he reported the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. He gives us loads of fascinating details. He tells us that every kind of person got involved whatever their line of work, from priests to perfume makers. There is no reason to think that they had any background in building work but they wanted to play their part. Nehemiah clearly valued the work that they were doing and kept meticulous records of it. It is little wonder that under his inspired leadership the wall was soon rebuilt. It is so important for us to value every single person, because that’s precisely what God does. We don’t all have the same gifts but we all have a part to play. This is fundamental to the apostle Paul’s understanding of the church. He said that we are the body of Christ and that, therefore, every part of it is e

Nehemiah 2.19-20 NLT But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked. I replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall.” Everything seemed to have been going so well. Not only did King Artaxerxes give Nehemiah the leave that he requested but supplied him with wood for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nehemiah had then made the 1000-mile journey to the city and inspected the broken walls and found it just as he had been told. He called the people together and challenged them to rebuild the walls and they were eager to start. Surely everything would now flow beautifully – but no! Even before the building work started the opposition got going. The builders were mocked and ridiculed and had to face the dangerous allegation that their work would be an act of rebellion against the King. I love Nehemiah’s confidence. He brushed off the oppositio

Nehemiah 2.8 NLT 'And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.' Nehemiah’s appearance before King Artaxerxes went incredibly well. Not only did the King grant him all the leave that he wanted, but he gave Nehemiah letters to the governors of Trans- Euphrates to ensure his safe travel, together with access to the royal forest for wood to help with the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s response was that this happened because the gracious hand of God was on him. When things go well in our lives it is so important that we immediately turn to God in praise. If we have succeeded in sport we need to praise God for the gift of our bodies and the strength he has given us. If we have done well in our studies or business then we need to praise God for the skills and abilities that he has graciously given us which have made the success possible. If our families are healthy and doing well then we need to praise God for the way in which he graciously gave them to us in the

Nehemiah 2.4-5 NLT The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” This was a terrifying moment. King Artaxerxes noticed that Nehemiah was looking sad. He could tell that there was something troubling his wine taster but Nehemiah had to be very careful what he said. The King was extremely powerful and if he didn’t like the answer it could have been the end for Nehemiah. We then read that Nehemiah prayed. It must have been a quick one, indeed it is often described as an arrow prayer. In the previous chapter we saw Nehemiah praying at great length but now time is of the essence and he can only offer up the briefest prayer to God. Arrow prayers are good. It is a blessing that in the midst of our busy lives we can offer to God brief prayers knowing that he will hear us. But it would be tragic if those were the only kind of prayers

Nehemiah 1.11 NLT “O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honouring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favourable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” Nehemiah is on the verge of taking the boldest step of his life. He is going to ask King Artaxerxes, the mighty ruler of Persia, a question which might well land him in a lot of trouble. It could so very easily go wrong. In view of this, he brings his majestic and humble prayer to an end by making the bold request that God should grant him success. I think we often feel rather coy about the idea of asking God for success, but we needn’t feel that way because God loves to hear our prayers. He wants us to be completely honest as we address him and in a situation like Nehemiah’s it was absolutely right for him to make such a bold request. This wasn’t a selfish prayer. He was asking for success so that he could bless his Jewish brothers and sisters by restoring Jerusalem. If the King gran

Nehemiah 1.6-7 NLT 'I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.' My car has gone in for a service today. A few minutes ago, I received a video on my phone from the garage in which I saw a mechanic giving me a guided tour of the underside of the vehicle pointing out all of its imperfections and indicating the work that would be needed over the coming months. Whether I liked it or not, I needed to know the facts and face up to them. In a sense that’s what happens when we come into the presence of a holy God. The truth about our lives is suddenly revealed. The fact is that we are sinners and we live in a community that is sinful. Nehemiah knew that he had to be absolutely honest with God. At times we like to play games with ourselves and make out that we are really not that bad. We open the newspapers and compare ourselves with people who hav

Nehemiah 1.5-6 NLT “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer!” These words give us a wonderful insight into Nehemiah’s understanding of God. Everything that follows in this book flows out of these few words. Nehemiah’s courageous actions were the result of the way he understood God, and the truth is that it’s the same for us. Our understanding of God (or to use the technical term - theology) will shape the way in which we speak and act. Nehemiah knew the awesome greatness of God but in the same moment he recognised that he was a God of love who wanted to live in covenant partnership with him. The challenge that faced Nehemiah was enormous. He lived far away from Jerusalem where the problems facing the residents were colossal. Added to that, he held a very important and trusted position in the court of the Persian King Artaxerxes. It was almost unthinkable that the King would release him

Nehemiah 1.4 NLT 'When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.' Not surprisingly many people have a special affection for the book of Nehemiah. It offers us an engaging first- hand account of a man of huge courage and faith. Here we meet Nehemiah in Persia which was about 1000 miles away from Jerusalem, his ancestral home. Many years before Jerusalem had been attacked by King Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and much of the population had been taken off into exile. That must be as humiliating a punishment as could be imagined but for the Jews, for whom the land was a gift of God, it was an excruciating penalty. The people longed to return to their homeland and were eager for any snippet of news. On this particular day Nehemiah had heard the latest and it is a story of unrelieved misery. Although many of the exiles had returned to Jerusalem they were in great trouble and disgrace and the walls of the city were broken and the gates bur

Philippians 4.19 NLT 'And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.' Generosity is a beautiful thing. I had the blessing of a very generous aunt. She never married and was a devoted follower of Jesus. She was generous with her time especially to neighbours who were in need. Although she held a very senior executive role she was always happy to do the most menial jobs and would think nothing of it. She died whilst taking a neighbour to hospital and that seemed to sum up her life. She was always very generous with her money and was always looking for creative ways of helping people and planted firmly in my teenage mind the blessing of being generous. Christians are not automatically generous and the apostle Paul notes that the generosity of the Philippian church stood in marked contrast to many of the others. As he brings this letter to a close he thanks them once again for their gifts and describes them as being “a s

Philippians 4.11-13 NLT 'I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.' Advertising is a major influence in the modern world. Its deliberate intention is to stir up discontent. We are continually urged to buy newer, trendier, brighter, faster and more efficient products. Being consistently pounded with these messages it can be difficult to live contentedly but that must surely be the most desirable life of all. To live with contentment is to live a life without strain and stress because things are fine the way they are and don’t need to change. Epicurus, the Greek philosopher, said, “He who doesn’t find a little enough, will find nothing enough.” There is wisdom in this quotation but Paul wouldn’t have agreed with it. His contentment didn’t flow from a p

Philippians 4.8 NLT 'And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.' Never in history have those words been more important than right now. When Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989 no-one could have foreseen the way in which it would completely transform the way in which we access information. Our mobile phones are the gateway to a world of information and that has incalculable benefits. But the downside is undeniable. It has never been easier to view destructive and depraved information which is able to ruin lives. In such a situation we desperately need to hear Paul’s words. We need to become fixated on those things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Paul lived in the real world. He wasn’t inviting the Philippian Christians to hide away from their society. Being a prisoner Paul, of all people, knew about the dark sid

Philippians 4.6-7 NLT 'Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.' The most unhelpful thing you can say to a person who is worrying is, “Don’t worry”. I am sure it is often meant in a kindly way, but it actually increases the problems of the person who’s worrying. Not only have they got all their worries but now they need to feel guilty about it as well. Paul doesn’t fall into the trap of giving useless advice because he shows us the way out. He tells the Philippians that there is no need to worry because they can pray about everything. If you place your concerns in God’s hands then you can look to the future with confidence and thanksgiving. Jesus also recognised that worrying was a significant issue for his followers. He pointed out that it was a waste of time. He asked the quest

Philippians 4.2-3 NLT 'Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News.' There’s nothing new about people falling out with one another! It has been a feature of life from the very beginning as we learn from the story of Cain and Abel. The question is, “what do we do when it happens?” and Paul here offers some helpful advice. The first step is for those who disagree to seek to resolve their differences. We have no idea what the women disagreed about. Presumably it must have been fairly serious for Paul to go to the trouble of making mention of it in his letter. He reminds the women that they belonged to the Lord and that is a crucially important fact. Belonging to the same family doesn’t meant that disagreements won’t occur but it does mean that we are not alone in seeking to resolve the situation. We can pray together and seek God’

Philippians 3.17-18 NLT 'Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.' Paul doesn’t pull his punches does he? He tells it like it is! He declares that some people are enemies of Christ. This is very harsh language but he knows that it is essential for the Philippian Christians to know the difference between those who were true followers of Christ and those who were fighting against Him. What they needed was a clear example of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus, and Paul says that he himself was the person they should be following. I don’t interpret this as arrogance but as a matter of necessity. The Christians, most of whom would have been very young in their faith, needed to have a clear example of what it meant to live for Christ in everyday life. As Paul wrote this, he was in pri

Philippians 3.12 NLT 'I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.' Perfection is a word that makes most of us shudder because we are so well aware that we fall very far short it. But the danger with that kind of response is that we give up even trying. We accept, reluctantly, that we are the people that we are, and everybody else has just got to get used to it. We come up with endless excuses to explain why we are the people we are today. I’ve heard people say that they have a bad temper because that’s exactly how their father used to be. Or they blame their impatience on their bad back. Paul fully acknowledges that he has got a long way to go on the road to perfection, but he was determined to travel further on that journey and not to excuse his shortcomings. Wonderfully God does accept us just the way we are, but he loves us so much that he is determined t

Philippians 3.8 – 9 NLT 'Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.' Oscar Wilde once defined a cynic as the person “who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing”. His observation well describes our cynical society which is desperately interested in the price of things but can often overlook what is truly valuable. It often takes a serious illness or an accident for people to start looking hard at what is most valuable in life. Here the apostle Paul runs through this exercise for himself. His detractors said that what mattered most was obeying the Jewish law and his answer is that if they wanted to play that game then he was the runaway winner. He was circumcised on the eighth day of his life as every little Jewish boy should be. He came from the favoured tribe of Benjamin so he was, as he described himse

Philippians 3.1-2 NLT 'Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.' There is something incredibly impressive about people who are joyful when everything is going wrong. Paul’s list of problems was a long one. He had the indignity and discomfort of being in prison not knowing whether he would ever be let out. Many of his fellow workers had let him down and he was continually up against fierce opposition. The sharpness of the conflict is very clear in these words as he describes his opponents as dogs. Their insistence that male converts to Christianity should be circumcised was, for Paul, a denial of the message that he was proclaiming. He was convinced that salvation was by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that circumcision was definitely not the way. Paul’s joyfulness is so irrepres

Philippians 2.22-23 NLT 'But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here.' Timothy was clearly very important to Paul. Born in Lystra in Galatia (now part of Turkey) he had a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Paul met him on his second missionary journey and he was a regular companion from then onwards. The letter to the Philippians was one of six letters in which Timothy was named as the co-author with Paul, and the apostle also wrote two deeply personal and moving letters specifically to Timothy who he refers to as his dear son. Here in Philippians, Paul says that he has no one else like him. Everyone else looked after their own interests, but not Timothy, who could be relied upon as a man of faith and someone who genuinely cared. As Paul languished in prison it must have been wonderful for him to know that he had Timothy’s continual suppo

Philippians 2.14-15 NLT 'Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.' Complaining has always been a part of life. Sometimes we need to complain but as a way of life it can be very destructive. It has been wisely said that complaining doesn’t solve problems, it only attracts them. Complaints were clearly a feature of the church in Philippi and Paul is eager that they should stop. His comments remind us of the people of Israel during their 40 years in the wilderness. Even though they had observed God miraculously leading them out of slavery in Egypt it wasn’t long before the complaints began. Complaining and arguing are destructive in every way. Paul challenged his readers to live in such a way that they couldn’t be criticised, because that could only damage their Christian witness. Paul had no illusions about hard this would be. His description of th