The year is 445BC, it is now 13 years since Ezra arrived in Jerusalem and nearly a century since the first group of Jews arrived back in Jerusalem after the exile. Nehemiah was among those Jews living with Mordecai and Esther in the Persian city of Susa. Nehemiah was a great man of faith who was very much concerned about what was happening back in Jerusalem. The Jews had started to rebuild the walls when they first arrived in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:12) but their work was probably demolished by the Samaritans (Ezra 4:23). That Jerusalem was still in ruins was a sign to Nehemiah that the process of restoration still had a long way to go. So, he starts where all restoration begins: he acknowledges where his people went wrong. If you ever feel that you have drifted off course and want to get back on course, you must begin by recognising the wrong turns you took. If you don’t know where you are and how you got there it will be impossible for you to find your way back. It is not enough just to know what the destination is, and it is not enough just to know that you are lost. You need to know how you got lost. If you don’t know this, then you will probably repeat the same mistakes. God will show you if you are willing to know. And when he does, confess it openly to him, not because he needs to know, but because you need to take responsibility and own the mistake. Then ask God to restore you to his path again.
Ask God to bring to light anything in your life that threatens your walk with him.
Read Nehemiah 1
