Saturday, January 09, 2010

Devotion: O God Strengthen My Hands

Nehemiah 6:9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem when his ememies came to him with false accusations about his motives. Nehemiah responded to them saying, "There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart."

The enemies of Nehemiah and the people were trying to make them afraid by saying that they would weaken their hands that the work would not be done. Nehemiah prays, "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands."

In a sense, I can identify with Nehemiah. The walls were in chaos because Israel had been in captivity and they weren't maintained. When I have flare-ups, I am in captivity to my health and my home does not get maintained as it should. It becomes chaos. When I start to feel good again and begin to work at getting things under control, there are the enemies of fatigue and discouragement that come along, telling me to give up, "You'll never get it under control again!"

Do you see yourself in this circumstance too? This is when we need to run to our God and pray for Him to strengthen our hands for the work that we need to do. He loves to show Himself strong in our weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me

I love the outcome of this story in Nehemiah 6. Verse 16 says, "And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God."

Be encouraged! When we rely on God to strengthen our hands for the work, then those around us, including our enemies will see that the work is of God.

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