“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in … Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men.”
Nehemiah 1:1-2a
One thing that should strike us as soon as we start reading the book of Nehemiah is that Nehemiah is not merely describing the things around him. Rather, he allows us to look at it all through his eyes. It’s like having a glimpse of his own journal, with his deepest thoughts and feelings. There are things of beauty and things rather ugly. Yet the Lord is lord of them all, and Nehemiah hides none of it in this God-inspired book of the Bible.
Consider this when you look at the broken things in your own life. They are worthy of exposure— both before God and before your fellow man. Do you trust God to deal with the things you would rather keep secret? Are you willing to make a testimony of your brokenness to others, knowing that Christ alone is able to mend?
The famed British preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) once advised his students to “dip the pen in their own hearts.” This is what Nehemiah has done. We can do the same with the knowledge that Christ dipped the pen of our salvation with His own blood and perfect righteousness.
Consider this when you look at the broken things in your own life. They are worthy of exposure— both before God and before your fellow man. Do you trust God to deal with the things you would rather keep secret? Are you willing to make a testimony of your brokenness to others, knowing that Christ alone is able to mend?
The famed British preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) once advised his students to “dip the pen in their own hearts.” This is what Nehemiah has done. We can do the same with the knowledge that Christ dipped the pen of our salvation with His own blood and perfect righteousness.
Scripture Focus
Nehemiah 1
Insight
We can dip the pen in our own hearts, assured that it is Christ who is writing our story.
Bible In A Year
- 1 Samuel 3-4
- Psalm 121
- 1 Corinthians 15
