First Presbyterian Church

The believer’s life certainly includes opposition. Take a look at any Bible character and you will see that it is so. Moses, Elijah, David, Paul, Peter − you name them − all had many instances where either people or circumstances came against them. The women of the Bible were no exception. Hannah, Sarah, and Mary dealt with agonizing situations.

It wasn’t long into the rebuilding of the wall that opponents came against Nehemiah and the people, threatening the project and even their lives. But Nehemiah did not crumble; he relied on God. Prayer led him to be resourceful, and trust that God would get them through it.

Opposition works to make us strong. It tests and strengthens perseverance. It internalizes our faith. Nothing great is ever accomplished without it. Let’s see how God worked it out for Nehemiah and the people of God. READ Nehemiah 4

To prepare ask yourself:

• What opposition am I experiencing, and what might God want me to learn from it?

Have you ever seen the aftermath from an enemy attack? We certainly have in this nation. Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem, faced with the reality of the destruction and devastation for the first time. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he set about investigating the work he felt called by God to do.

Although he took a few men with him, he was intent upon secrecy during this initial assessment of the problem. I would imagine as he rode around the city in the middle of the night, he reviewed all those prayers he had made before, thinking of what God had put in his heart to do. Was this some crazy idea that he felt himself? Or was God truly putting this dream in his head? Could God use a lay person like himself to restore the honor of this city?

To prepare for Sunday read Nehemiah 2: 11-20

Questions to ask: What captures your passion when you pray? Could it possibly be a call God has placed before you?

READ THE SERMON:  Our Problems Are Never Too Big for God

What would you do if you went to a high school reunion where you met up with old friends and you learned your hometown had suffered a devastating disaster? Would you turn to God in prayer, asking what God would have you do? A man in the Bible did just that.

This week begins our study of Nehemiah, a man who simply referred to himself as God’s servant. This first week we hear what he did when he learned his beloved city, Jerusalem, from which the Israelites were exiled, was in ruins. Deeply distraught, he prayed about it. Yet, even though this terrible event had happened, Nehemiah saw God as still closely involved in the peoples’ lives. Sunday we will see how Nehemiah’s mission emerged out of that time of serious prayer. It’s an exciting story and I can’t wait for us to hear it!

To prepare for Sunday read: Nehemiah 1:1-11 and Nehemiah 2:1-8

Then think about this question when you pray: What concern in your world might God be bringing to your attention?

READ THE SERMON:  TAKING ON GOD’S VISION