Graceways October 1 Devotional

NEHEMIAH 1:5-7 | ⁵ I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for your servants, the Israelites, confessing the sins of the Israelites, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my family have sinned. ⁷ We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded Moses your servant.

Nehemiah was, as we shall see, an excellent problem solver. He had what the Greeks called phronesis, or practical wisdom. He would develop plans and teams to deal with Jerusalem’s security issues, social problems, and morale issues. But here, we see his willingness to face the difficult core spiritual reality. Jerusalem’s suffering is due to Yahweh’s punishment for their idolatry and rebellion. Their suffering is deserved! His deep goal is to restore not just the city, but the broken relationship between the people and their God. He wants God to lead the restoration. So he begins by confessing his own guilt that led to the Babylonian captivity and the guilt of his family and ancestors.

Practical problems usually have spiritual roots. Do you agree?

Gracious God,

Grant me the spiritual insight to see the roots of the problems I seek to solve, as well as the practical wisdom to find solutions.

Amen.