Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from Don Moen singing … God Will Make A Way … poignantly singing of the God providing “a way when there seems to be no way.”
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Highlight Verse[s]: Nehemiah 6:15 [NLT] … 15 So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun.
… God’s calling for Nehemiah to rebuild the wall was completed thru His grace and the surrendered work of God’s people under Nehemiah’s leadership.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Nehemiah 6:1-9, 15 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… In spite of seemingly overwhelming challenges, God’s people, led by Nehemiah complete the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem in 52 days.
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Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 10:13 [NLT] … 13 The temptations [also translated “tests, trials, or troubles”] in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation [or trials] to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted [or tested], He will show you a way out so that you can endure.
… Jesus declares His light to the Pharisees and the people who had been blinded by their own traditions and biases.
Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … 9 Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
… Jesus reminded Paul that God’s grace is always sufficient to carry on … even when the challenges of life seem too painful or overwhelming.
Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:19 [NLT] … 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
… God, thru Paul, declares His promise to provide our needs from His glorious riches.
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5 [NLT] … 5 … be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, … “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” [quoted from Deut. 31:6, 8]
… God promises us to never abandon us when life seems hyper-challenging.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, used a personal story of a friend completing a very difficult task to illustrate God’s grace giving us what we need in life. The ODB author wrote: We gathered monthly to hold one another accountable to our individual goals. My friend Mary wanted to reupholster the seats of her dining room chairs before the year’s end. At our November meeting she wittily reported her progress from October: “It took ten months and two hours to recover my chairs.” After months of not being able to obtain the materials required, or find the quiet hours away from her demanding job and her toddler’s needs, the project took merely two hours of committed work to finish. [See photo]
When things seem seemingly overwhelming and we feel God’s calling to complete a task, we must rely on His grace to provide a way, as in the linked song, “where there seems to be no way.” That’s what Nehemiah relied on; and as we read in the highlight passage, God provided His people with the resources and strength to overcome all obstacles and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem in miraculous time.
Years ago, a mentor once challenged me when I felt overwhelmed with a daunting task which I was sure God had called me to accomplish. He said, … “Bill, God’s calling is His enablement.” And that’s the promise of the Scriptures above, isn’t it?
And so, if any reader here is facing a tough challenge, we must know that if God is the One Who has called us to the task, … “He will make a way!”
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for providing us with Your grace, which is always sufficient to complete Your calling.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … I know You are with me no matter how challenging the road ahead seems. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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