Seeds for 10/28/2024 - Nehemiah 9:9-12
Scripture:
9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. 10 You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. 12 By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
Observation:
The prayer from the Israelites’ leaders began with praise for God’s creative activity and choosing them in particular, of all people. It continues with remembering.
What we remember about the past shapes our perception of the present and our imagination about the future.
In just a few sentences, they recount the Exodus story’s most salient truths. God saw their suffering and heard their cry. He conquered Pharaoh and the Egyptians. He made a name for Himself and delivered His people through the Red Sea. Then, He led them through the wilderness with His very presence.
They are remembering this story in prayer nine hundred-something years after the original events. No doubt they have prayed and recounting the story a thousand-fold in their lifetimes. Still, they tell it again.
It is an anchor for their praying because in remembering their past they perceive their present rightly. They have a God who can and will act in their lives.
Application:
What biblical story or stories about God anchor your praying?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, teach me to remember your story of grace, so that I may anchor my praying in the truth of who you have been for me and who you will continue to be. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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