From Broken to Restored: The Book of NehemiahSample

Week 1

Read: Nehemiah 1:1–11; Psalm 37:3–5

SOAP: Psalm 37:3–5

Trust in the Lᴏʀᴅ and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity. Then you will take delight in the Lᴏʀᴅ, and he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the Lᴏʀᴅ, trust in him and he will act on your behalf.

Into the Text

Have you ever sensed that God was about to do something big? Maybe you’ve seen Him move in ways you never thought possible, and you are expectant of Him to reveal Himself to you in new ways. Perhaps you’ve seen Him begin to answer a prayer that you’ve prayed for years. Or maybe, like Nehemiah, you sense Him stirring something in your heart, preparing you for a specific calling.

Nehemiah was a Jew living in Persia. The people of Judah were finally able to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple and city of Jerusalem after seventy years of exile. Nehemiah lived about a century after the Jews' initial return to Jerusalem. He worked as a cupbearer to the king of Persia—a very important and respected position.

Nehemiah also knew God and what God had done for His people. He recognized that the people of God who returned to Jerusalem were without protection and needed the city walls rebuilt. Broken over the plight of God’s people—his people—Nehemiah cried out to God. He asked God to move the heart of the king of Persia so that he could go to Jerusalem and help his people rebuild the wall.

The Book of Nehemiah displays the restorative character of God. He used Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the hearts of the people. The faithfulness of God to act on behalf of His people is evident in these events. God did not restore the people because they were always obedient but because He had promised to—and because He keeps His promises.

We serve a God who will always act on behalf of His own. And, sometimes, in His grace, He may let us know when He is about to do something big in our lives. As we study the Book of Nehemiah, let’s remain alert to what God is stirring in and around us. For He is a God who is always working, who will always work for good in the lives of His children. May we trust Him and expect Him to act.