QT 01/01/2025 Wed. Nehemiah 1. Prayers & Overcoming Troubles. 祈祷与克服困难。
QT 01/01/2025 Wed. Nehemiah 1
READ http://www.esvbible.org/neh1
Happy New Year! This rich passage has many angles to learn.
(1) As Nehemiah prays for God's help to overcome the problems of his days, worshippers of God need to turn to God to, as we encounter our problems of today. The surprise today might be that God is the last person, or nearly the last person we look for.
ACTION FOR TODAY: Ask God to continue His wonderful work to restore His creation—both nature and humans.
(2) Nehemiah started off his prayer for help with Adoration—acknowledging God as who he is. He is the "great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments" (1:5). This Adoration can continue, even as Nehemiah found out that the broken down Jerusalem's walls more or less mirrors their spiritual condition before this God, estranged and disconnected.
ACTION FOR TODAY: Learn more about God and what kind of a God He is. The more you are in accurately knowing this great God, the more you are confident to bring your requests to God, and the more you expect God to act according to His awesome wisdom and will. Worshippers can rest well today in the reliance that God knows the best and would do the best for you, whatever the chaotic or disastrous situation we are in.
(3) Nehemiah prays according to God's promises. He acknowledges the consequences of disobeying God (as pre-warned by God), as well as the promise of restoration and redemption for those who "return to me and keep my commandments and do them" however remote they are from His temple in Jerusalem.
"God wants his people to trust him submissively, but he also wants them to talk directly to him and ask him about what they are trusting him for. He also wants them to dream creatively about how the abilities and opportunities he has given them might be leveraged to produce results that line up with his stated purposes." --- Douglas Nykolaishen.
ACTION: How can I act today and display all that I learn above? Are there any difficulties that come to your mind that you should similarly bring to God today?
QT 01/01/2025 星期三. 尼希米 1. 祈祷与克服困难。
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/neh/1
新年快乐! 这段丰富的经文有很多值得学习的角度。
(1) 尼希米祈求神帮助他克服当时的问题，当我们遇到今天的问题时，敬拜神的人也需要求助于神。今天惊讶的地方可能是，神是我们最后一个，或几乎是最后一个寻找求助的对象？
今日的应用: 祈求神继续祂奇妙的工作，恢复祂的创造物--自然界和人类。
(2）尼希米以 “敬拜 ”开始了他的求助祷告--承认神的一切属性，认识真正的祂。祂是 “伟大可畏的 神啊，你向那些爱你，遵守你诫命的人，守约施慈爱”（1:5）。即使尼希米发现耶路撒冷残破的城墙或多或少反映了他们在这位神面前的属灵状况，即疏远和断绝关系，但这种敬拜仍可在这环境不乐观的情况下继续。
今日的应用：更多地了解神，了解祂是怎样的一位神。你越是准确地认识这位伟大的神，你就越有信心向神提出你的请求，你就越期待神按照祂令人敬畏的智慧和旨意行事。今天，敬拜者可以享受平安，因为无论我们身处何种混乱或灾难性的境地，神都知道最好的，也会为你做最好的安排。
(3) 尼希米按照上帝的应许祷告。他承认不顺服神的后果（这是神预先警告过的），也承认对那些 “回心转意归向我，谨守遵行我的诫命 ”的人的恢复和救赎的应许，无论他们离耶路撒冷的圣殿有多远。
“上帝希望祂的子民顺从地信任他，但祂也希望他们直接与祂坦诚沟通，向祂询问他们信任祂的原因及处境。神还希望他们用从神而来的创意、能力和机会，产生符合祂既定目标的结果"--- 道格拉斯-尼科莱申。
今日的应用：我今天该如何行动，活出我在以上所学到的功课？今天，你是否也应该把你想到的任何困难带到上帝面前来交托？
