all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey.
Read Nehemiah 8:1-11. What does it cost you to be a Christian?
When Nehemiah and God’s people obeyed God and set about rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, they faced much opposition. They were afraid, but they kept going. They also turned to worship.
We may not face the kind of opposition Nehemiah and his people faced. But there are ways in which Christianity is being repressed as our western society becomes more secularised.
If we are going to face such opposition with courage rather than with fear, then worship can help us. We can focus on God and who he is. We can recall that he has already had the victory. We can pray for the strength and courage we need.
Worship helped Nehemiah and God’s people to focus on God rather than on the persecution they faced. Worship can do the same for us too. It can help us take our focus off our problems and turn our attention to God.
When you face opposition, you face two choices: you can worry or you can worship. Which will you choose?
THINK IT OVER
Think about the following:
What opposition have you faced because of your faith? How did worship help overcome it?