Praise the Lord! Greetings to you all in the matchless and wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is sure that the Lord has been good to each and every one of us throughout the past week. The Lord has blessed us with a great year 2025 [though trials and troubles were part of it] and there is no doubt that the Lord our God will bless us in this New Year also [2026]. Our call is to live a life that is worthy of His calling because we are created in the image and likeness of God and the Lord our God who created us knows all about us from inside out and all the situations we are going through in life including our joys and pains. For instance, king David stated that the Lord is the One who created him, as it is mentioned: You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb … My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16); and he acknowledged that You [that is, the Lord God Almighty] know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me (Psalm 139:2-5; also refer to vs 7-18). Thus, knowing the fact that the Lord God who made us knows all about us, let us live our life honoring and glorifying God for the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:11); and join the Psalmists who lived to praise and worship God:

I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live (Psalm 104:33)

I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live (Psalm 146:2).

The Lord has blessed us with a purposeful Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week that is taken from the book of Nehemiah 9:6 (mentioned above). According to the opening words of the book, the book of Nehemiah is written by Nehemiah himself, as it is mentioned: The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa (Nehemiah 1:1). Yet, some Bible historians and scholars believe that part of the book is written by Ezra, a priest and the teacher of the Law, and Scribe, and as he collected the memoirs of Nehemiah and compiled it with the books of Ezra-Nehemiah, and the Chronicles. However, the books that are written by Ezra and Nehemiah differed from each other in its contents – while Ezra mainly focuses his writings on rebuilding the temple of Jerusalem its dedication, and the celebration of Passover (Ezra 3:1-6:22), Nehemiah focused his writings on repairing the broken down city wall and repairing the city gates that was burned down with fire (Nehemiah 1:3; 2:17). Ezra served as a priest and the teacher of the Law, and Scribe, while Nehemiah was in the Citadel of Susa as the cupbearer to Artaxerxes the king of the Medo-Persian empire, as he himself affirmed it saying I was cupbearer to the king … (Nehemiah 1:11b-2:1). Nehemiah was a pious Jew and known for his spiritual boldness, courage, perseverance, and prayerful life. He always cared for others and sought the welfare of his people and the good condition of the Temple and city of Jerusalem despite him being in the Citadel of Susa. Although he was residing at Citadel of Susa, he was always thinking about the welfare of his people in Judea and worried about the ruined condition of the City of Jerusalem, as he was informed by Hanani, one of his brothers, and some other men who came from Judah:

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, 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. When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:1b-4)

The matters that made Nehemiah sad were that (i) the remnants who remained in Judah/Jerusalem and the exiles who returned from Babylon and Persia were in trouble and disgrace (Nehemiah 1:3a); (ii) the wall of Jerusalem was broken down (Nehemiah 1:3b); and (iii) its gates had been burned with fire (Nehemiah 1:3c). Nehemiah was in a desperate situation hearing about the ruined condition of the City of Jerusalem and wanted to rebuild the broken wall of Jerusalem and repair the city gates that is burned with fire (Nehemiah 1:3; 2:17). Though the first batch of the remnants returned to Jerusalem and Judah about one hundred years prior to the coming of Ezra and Nehemiah to Jerusalem, the broken down wall and the burned down gates were not repaired. We do not know the reasons why the city walls that were not restored and city gates not repaired even after a hundred years of the remnants’ return to Jerusalem and Judea. There might be untold reasons exists, such as: may be the remnants were continually focused on maintaining the temple of God even after its completion and dedication (Ezra 6:13-22); their enemies might have been threatening them and discouraging them (Ezra 4:1-24; Nehemiah 2:10, 19; 4:1-3); lack of enthusiasm as they focused on their personal/family matters rather than community matters (Nehemiah 2:17; Haggai 1:4); lack of resources to rebuild the wall and repair the gates (Nehemiah 5:1-13; also refer to Ezra 2:68-69; 3:7; 6:8-10); and so on. However, with the help of the Lord his God [the God of Israel] and the support of king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was able to (i) go to Jerusalem, (ii) comfort his people, (iii) give leadership to rebuild the city walls that were broken down, and (iv) repair the city gates that was burned with fire, (v) continue to stay there for longer period as the governor of Judah/Jerusalem, and (v) care for his people. Though there was opposition which arose from the side of Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab and others (Nehemiah 4:1-9) against rebuilding the wall and repairing the gates, the remnants in Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah were able to finish the work within 52 days and dedicate it (Nehemiah 6:15). Nehemiah was very keen in completing the rebuilding the broken wall and repairing the city gates that were burned down. He  was neither distracted nor did he turn away from the responsibility the Lord God entrusted upon him regarding the welfare of his people in Judea and well-balanced maintenance of the City of Jerusalem. Later, he was appointed as the governor of Judea by king Artaxerxes – a worthwhile responsibility to maintain law and order in Jerusalem and care for his people in Judea. Thus, he made a great move from the Citadel of Susa, the capital city of Medo-Persian empire, to Jerusalem, the capitol City of Judea (Nehemiah 5:14).

The passage we chose for our meditation affirms the fact that God alone is the Lord and He is the One who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them (Nehemiah 9:6). After the completion of the rebuilding of the city walls that were broken down and repairing the city gates, the people [men and women and all who were able to understand / Nehemiah 8:1-2] assembled before the Water Gate to pay attention to everything God does in their lives and consecrate themselves before the Lord their God in loyalty, holiness and godliness and to listen from the Book of the Law of Moses, as it is mentioned:

All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel … He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law (Nehemiah 8:1-3)

After hearing the Book of the Law of Moses read by Ezra the priest, the people realized that they were in trouble and went in captivity because they sinned and rebelled against the Lord their God. As they heard the Book of the Law of Moses being read by Ezra the priest, the people confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors at once (Nehemiah 9:2) and praised God and worshipped Him as it is mentioned: Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground (Nehemiah 8:6). As Ezra the priest was reading the book of the Law of Moses, certain Levites explained and instructed the people in the Law, so that the people would understand its meaning, as it is stated: The Levites … instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read (Nehemiah 8:7-8). The people together with Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people (Nehemiah 8:9) praised God declaring He alone is God, the way the twenty-four elders who fell down before Him who was sitting on the throne and worshipped Him who lives for ever and ever, saying: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being (Revelation 4:10-11). Moses stated: The Lord alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise (Deuteronomy 10:21). It is understood that everyone everywhere acknowledged that the Lord God Almighty alone is God and who alone is able to make the heavens and the earth and everything in it out of nothing (ex-nihilo), and who alone is worthy of all our praise and worship. Let us again read, analyze, study and meditate the Scripture passage we chose for our meditation for the empowerment of our personal relationship with Christ Jesus and for the sake of our spiritual nourishment (Nehemiah 9:6) …

• • The Lord alone is the Lord God Almighty (9:6a)
  • The Lord God made the heavens (9:6b)
  • The Lord God made even the highest heavens (9:6c)
  • The Lord God made all their starry host (9:6d)
  • The Lord God alone made the earth (9:6e)
  • The Lord God alone made everything that is in the earth (9:6f)
  • The Lord God alone made the seas (9:6g)
  • The Lord God alone made all that is in the sea (9:6h)
  • The Lord God alone gives life to everything (9:6i)
  • The multitudes of heaven worship the Lord God Almighty (9:6j)

From the above discussion, we can understand that the Lord God Almighty whom we worship is the only true God and who alone is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 146:6) and the Creator who stretches the heavens out and who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it (Isaiah 42:5). Apostle Paul stated in connection with the creation of God and Christ that For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16).

In the light of our meditation, as the faithful followers of Christ, let us follow the example of Nehemiah the man of God in carrying out the ministry of God diligently. He was diligent in uplifting the name of God and glorifying Him, caring for his people, Jerusalem the city of the Lord his God. He was a man of compassion and prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-5); he was a man of vision and faith (Nehemiah 2:20); he was a man of hard work and courage (Nehemiah 4:6, 9, 14); and so on. From Nehemiah’s life we can understand that God does everything beautiful in His time using His servants who faithfully obey Him and carry out whatever He commands them to do. Let us trust the Lord our God wholeheartedly and fearlessly because we do not know what or who may come in our way. In either way we do not need to worry, for our God is on our side, as Apostle Paul stated: If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31). Whatever happens in our life, we need to make sure that we are on God’s side because our God is a prayer answering God and prayer is the most important and effective way to reach God in a faster mode. As soon as our prayer reaches to Him, He will start working on it. There are no weapons of our enemies that are stronger than the weapons of prayer and praise.  These alone will dismantle the tactics of any enemy who comes in our way either to destroy us or distract us. It is time for us to trust in the Lord God Almighty more than ever before because God’s plans and purposes will only prevail at the end because they are better and easier than all our plans and purposes put together. Therefore, let us rededicate our life for His service and abide in Him fully and try to focus on doing the things He wants us to do. Let us also acknowledge that the Lord our God alone is God and worthy of all our praise and worship (Deuteronomy 10:21; Psalm 145:3). May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!