Friday, Januray 2, 2015

JIM CAIN

Nehemiah’s countrymen, the Jews, were living in destitution. The once

powerful walls of Jerusalem were little more than scattered rubble and her

great gates that once protected the people and welcomed their friends were

reduced to char & ash.  This broke him, and he began praying earnestly for

God to work mightily on the Jew’s behalf. However, Nehemiah didn’t stop

there; rather, he started planning for the day when God would answer his

prayer.

Many of us wait for God to work and answer prayer, like Nehemiah, but

unlike him, we aren’t prepared for when he does. God uses that time of

waiting to prepare us, which he did with Nehemiah. Nehemiah served King

Xerxes as a cupbearer, a trusted position. The king, sensing his brokenness,

asked him, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick?” Nehemiah

didn’t retell the sad tale, but gave the king a well planned solution.

Are we preparing for the day when God moves? Have we been praying for

revival as a church, but not preparing ourselves for when it occurs? Start

planning for answered prayers today and then join us in worship this

Sunday at Central UMC!