God’s Power, Provision, Protection, Presence, And Peace

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I have a prayer/blessing that I pray for friends and write on cards.

“May you experience God’s Power, His Provision, His Protection, His Presence, and His Peace.”

I like the illiteration (words starting with the same letter).

Through the years, God has added P-words to my prayer/blessing.

As I read through Nehemiah 9, I recognized that the Israelites had experienced and now remembered these aspects of God… and more.

I love chapters like Nehemiah 9.

It is a mini-Genesis/Exodus, concisely written into one chapter. Nehemiah 9 gives the highlights.

We find other chapters like this one.

For example, In Acts 7, Stephen recounted the events of history before he was stoned.

In Hebrews 11, we are reminded of events of the Old Testament and the faith of the patriarchs.

Let’s take a look at Nehemiah 9

The Israelites have come out of Babylonian captivity and returned to Jerusalem.

On the final day of the Feast of Booths, the people of Israel observed a solemn day as God instructed.

For 1/4 of the day – They stood and read aloud from the book of the law.

For 1/4 of the day – They confessed and worshiped the Lord.

In Leviticus 23, God gives instructions about the Feast of Tabernacles (the Feast of Booths). It is one of the three mandatory feasts. All Israelites traveled to Jerusalem to present themselves before the Lord and make offerings.

And the LORD spoke to Moses, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of the seventh month will be the feast of tabernacles for seven daysto the LORD. On the first day will be an holy convocation, in which you mustn’t do any servile (customary, ordinary) work. Seven days you will offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day will be a holy convocation to you; and you will offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; and you mustn’t do any servile work in it. (Vs 33-36)

Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you will keep a feast for the LORD seven days. On the first day will be a sabbath, and on the eighth day will be a sabbath. And on the first day you will take you the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you will rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And you will keep it a feast for the LORD seven days in the year. It will be a statute for ever in your generations: you will celebrate it in the seventh month. You will dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born will dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Vs 39-43)

Then certain Levites stood on the raised platform and prayed aloud.

POWER, PROVISION

Verse 6

“You alone are LORD;

You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all the things that are in it, the seas, and all that is in them.

And You preserve them all;

The host of heaven worships you.”

The people remember that by his Word, God created heaven, earth, the seas and all that is in them. God created all the things that man needs to survive and thrive… food, water, air. He also positioned the sun the perfect distance from the earth. (Genesis 1-2)

And by His Word, He preserves the world until the end.

“For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:5-7)

PROMISE-KEEPER

Verses 7-8 .

“You are the LORD the God, who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham. You found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have performed Your words, because You are righteous.”

The people remembered God’s promise to Abraham

POWER

Verses 9-11

“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt. You showed signs and wonders on Pharaoh and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land; because You knew that they dealt proudly against our fathers. So You made a name for Yourself, even to this day.