Be Still And Know

Nehemiah 1:5-6 “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer!” These words give us a wonderful insight into Nehemiah’s understanding of God. Everything that follows in this book flows out of these few words. Nehemiah’s courageous actions were the result of the way he understood God, and it’s the same for us. Our understanding of God (or to use the technical term - theology) will shape the way in which we speak and act. Nehemiah knew the awesome greatness of God but, at the same time, he recognised that the God of love wanted to live in covenant relationship with him. Nehemiah lived far away from Jerusalem, where the problems facing the Israelites were colossal. Added to that, he held an important and trusted position in the court of the Persian King Artaxerxes. As the royal wine taster, it was almost unthinkable that he would be released him from his sensitive role. Anyone looking out for the