Facing Change
Summer seems to be a time of distinct change and transition. Sometimes, this time of change can be a good thing. For our kids, summer marks the end of the school year and a season filled with the fun of church camps, sports camps, and other outdoor expeditions. For adults, it can be the yearly arrival of golf, gardening, and boating. Families may have a week or two of vacation planned to make new memories together. However, not all change and transition can seem good to us. Maybe it means the end at one school before transitioning to an all-new school and environment. Maybe it means a transition to a new job that leaves you feeling uneasy. Or, maybe there isn’t any planned change but you receive news that completely blindsides you. It is in these times that I want to encourage you to look to the example of Nehemiah. You might be thinking, What is Nehemiah even about? Shouldn’t we look to the Psalms or Proverbs or something that Paul has written if we’re talking about times of tough transition? Or, I just looked at the headers of Nehemiah; isn’t this book just about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem? What does this have to do with me? I admit, these are all good questions and many of us are unfamiliar with the story of Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the king. In fact, I think you could make an argument that Nehemiah is one of the books of the Bible that gets the least amount of attention in churches today. Yet, I believe this piece of Scripture gives us a powerful example of how to respond to an unwelcome change in our lives, our communities, and our culture in a way that is fully dependent on God.
Caleb McCaughan
One Comment
Gregory A Blecich
To anyone who has looked around at our country and world 🌎 The book of Nehemiah is VERY MUCH a relevant and needed resource and encouragement. I certainly appreciate 🙏 and immediately grasp what God is wanting to get at here. And appreciate and grasp what Caleb is talking about here, in this sermon. And I 💯 % concur and agree with the need for it. With the need to at least care about the present state of affairs we find ourselves in now, in this day and age. And to realize and recognize what God is getting at. 🙏 May we all have eyes to see it, and ears to hear it, and faith to walk in it, in whatever way and capacity each and every one of us have been moved by it. Amen 🙏