CHOICES! CHOICES! DECISIONS! DECISIONS!

We make numerous choices every single day! How many have you had to make so far today? If you have only been awake an hour, perhaps not too many, yet! Some are fairly simple and may not make much difference one way or the other. Do I wear black or gray socks? Others require ongoing efforts of seeking the Lord, searching the scriptures, listing pros/cons, researching the options, lots of discussion with family, godly counselors, prayer, and fasting.

Unlike the color choice of our socks, these choices hold power that can have long-term consequences and may affect others in our lives, families, friends, neighbors, and communities. These decisions are most likely complex, stressful, and time-consuming. The Bible records the details of such a person. In Nehemiah chapter 1, a godly man is overwhelmed with grief about his people, their condition, and their city. 

The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

1In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Though no longer physically with his beloved community; his spirit, thoughts and affections are intertwined with theirs. Nehemiah is heartbroken that His people were devastated and the city was in ruin. The people, their homes, and property were unprotected and destroyed as the gates were demolished. 

Today we are studying the decision-making process of God’s servant Nehemiah. He was a cupbearer for the King (Nehemiah 1:11). His job description was to taste test any food/drink before it was given to the King. This was not a “Goldilocks’ taste test! The purpose was not to determine if the food was savory, too hot, cold, salty, or just right.  You do know the sipping and tasting was to see if the King dropped dead! Wow!

Even before this decision, we are focused on today, we see Nehemiah as an experienced decision-maker. This serious process is revealed with him having made several critical decisions already.

He decided to:

inquire about his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters and homeland 

fast, weep, mourn, and pray for his people 

remind God of His promises

ask God to hear his prayer, and grant success as he made his request to the King

pray that the King would be kind to him. 

 

We can follow Nehemiah’s example by praying:

for those we care about

for devoting intentional focus on God’s Word for His wisdom as we make choices

to read, review, and remember GOD’s specific promises

to ask God to hear and answer our prayers 

 

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©2024 Penelope White Use with author’s permission. Send requests to penywhite@hotmail.com

Penelope Allen White is a wife, mother of two young adult sons, and grandmother. Her passion is for all children and people to have an intimate knowledge of God. She works as a Christian educator, speaker, church school curriculum writer and teacher, workshop facilitator, middle school counselor, and neighborhood tutor. Despite her busy schedule, she still finds time to enjoy a game of hopscotch!