Be Still And Know

Nehemiah 9:3 They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. This was the start of a new chapter for God’s people. It was a time for them to reassess their lives in the light of the Law of Moses. This was an occasion for encouragement because they were reminding themselves of the love and faithfulness of their God, who wanted to live in covenant partnership with them. But it was also a time of deep pain as they were reminded that the people of Israel had a long history of rebellion against God. Worship should always contain these two elements. As we declare the greatness of God and celebrate his love for us, we are bound also to see our own failures. God doesn’t call us to wallow in our sins or to exaggerate them. He wants to set us free from our shortcomings, but that cannot happen unless we are honest with him. It is, therefore, vital that every a