*For the months of January and February, our weekly devotion in the Book of Nehemiah will be moving to Wednesdays.*
The God Who Sees
By: Patty Nicholas-Boyte
Nehemiah 11:23-24 (NASB)
23 For there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a royal command for the singers day by day. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was the king’s representative for every matter concerning the people.
As we work our way through chapter 11, I am still amazed at the detail that is in the long list of names in this book.
In earlier verses we learned about the sons of Levi and their role in worship in the temple. Today we learn about the command that came from the king to take care of the singers day by day. He cared about his people enough to put his representative on the matter.
The next people chronicled in the earlier verses were all kinds of important people, they were warriors, gatekeepers and those who kept watch of the storerooms, God gave us the names of these men, He is a God of detail as well as the God of the big picture. He even said in verse 24 that the command went up to care for the singers day by day.
Last week we talked about how each person has a role and how each role is important. This week I want to go one step farther. God is the God of detail. He could have inspired Nehemiah to simply let us know which tribe was responsible for fulfilling the duties needed to secure Jerusalem, but God did not do that, He listed the names of the men as well as their genealogy.
God cared about each and every person in Nehemiah’s time as well as how they served. God cared about those who lived and what they did, as much as He cares about us and what we do. When we think no one knows about the work we’ve done quietly and without accolade, please know our Father in Heaven sees you and He cares about you.
Matthew 6:26 (NASB)
26 Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?
What can we learn from Nehemiah?
· Daily provisions were given to the singers by order of a gentile king. If a non-believer can see the importance of worship and service, we as believers should take care of those in ministry even more.
· The man who was the king’s representative came from a long line of men from the tribe of Judah. He was a man who had the king’s ear in all matters. He was the voice of the people. Be the voice of the people today.
· Know that you are important to God. He sees you and He cares for your circumstances.
God used the representative to the king for “every matter concerning the people.” To take care of God’s people during the rebuilding process. The man was a Persian king who did not believe in the God of Nehemiah, but he did believe what Nehemiah was doing was important and therefore he encouraged him in many ways in with many resources all along the way.
No matter our role, God is the God who sees, who cares, and who will encourage.
Colossians 2:2 (NASB)
2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
What questions can we ask ourselves that can affect change?
- Who can I encourage today?
- Knowing God sees me and cares about what my circumstances are, how does that encourage me to continue on in my calling?
- Who are the people that God wants me to represent? Who’s been silenced and is needing me to be their voice?
Take a few minutes and pray for the calling God has placed on your life..
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