In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how Hanani and his men came to him and said, “the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, ...”, and in chapter one and verse five of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “I beseech you, O LORD God of heaven”, where we read,
And said, I beseech you, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God,
that keeps covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
The verse reads, “And said, I beseech you, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, ...”. Nehemiah began with the words, “and said” or “and uttered, declared, proclaimed and prayed”, “I beseech you” which means “I, Nehemiah, entreat, beg and pray to you, Supreme Deity”, “O LORD God” or “O Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True Supreme Deity and God” “of heaven” which means “belonging to the visible skies, atmosphere and sidereal heavens where God dwells and other spiritual beings”, “the great” or “the large, intense, distinguished” “and terrible God” which means “and revered, honored and awesome Supreme Deity”. Nehemiah said he prayed to Jehovah God who dwells in “heaven”, and he declared God to be the mighty and awesome Supreme Deity.
The verse goes on to say, “that keeps covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:” Nehemiah continued with the words, “that keeps covenant” or “who guards, has charge of, protects and watches over alliance, pledge, treaty and league” “and mercy” which means “and goodness, kindness and faithfulness” “for them that love him” or “on behalf of the people both male and female who have an appetite and affection for him, Jehovah God” “and observe his commandments” which means “and keep, guard and give heed to his, Jehovah God's, laws, ordinances and precepts”. Nehemiah continued his prayer by referring to the way Jehovah God guards over alliance and pledge and is kind and faithful to people who have great affection for Him while giving heed to His laws and precepts.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah how he prayed to Jehovah God when he and his people were in trouble. He began his prayer by recognizing who God is. God dwells in “heaven” with other spiritual beings, and He is an awesome and mighty God. God watches over His alliances and pledges, and He is filled with pity and compassion toward people who dearly “love” Him and take heed to His laws and ordinances. God is filled with love for us, and because He desires a personal relationship with us, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days later, and now all who put their faith and trust in Him as their “Savior and Lord” will be forgiven of their sins, granted everlasting life and given the ability to pray effectively when times of trouble and difficulty arise.
Next time Nehemiah says, “let your ear now be attentive” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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