Nehemiah 9:17a They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them….
I wonder if God ever gets frustrated with me. I know I frustrate myself. I feel like I keep fighting the same battles over and over. For me, those battles center around giving up trying to control situations I can’t and trusting God has got me, even when I feel like life is spinning out of my control. Jesus, Help me.
Nehemiah 9:17b …They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage….
The Israelites typify my internal struggle. On the one hand, I read about them and shake my head in disgust. What is wrong with them? God’s got them. He’s leading them. He has proved to them a history of caring for them, and still they cannot trust?!? Still they would rather return to slavery than march forward in God’s will to freedom?!? But the control freak in me gets it. By returning to slavery, to the familiar, they know what to expect, which allows them to FEEL more in control, even though they are not. Jesus, Help me.
Nehemiah 9:17c …But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for loving me too much to leave me where I am. Thank You for continuing to call me on my control and trust issues. Help me, Jesus, to give up trying to control situations I can’t and to fully trust what I know in my heart to be true—You are sovereign, You are in control, and You love my loved ones more than I am even capable of loving. You’ve got us, all of us, securely in the palm of Your hand. Draw us closer. Amen.
Nehemiah 9:17d …and You did not forsake them.
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.