Nehemiah wrote, “Ezra , the priest, read God’s word to all the people who gathered in the square at Jerusalem. As he read several men help explain to the people spread out in the large crowd, what God was saying through these words. All the people realized that for a very long time they had been living outside of God’s will in their daily lives. They wept but I encouraged them to be happy that God had graciously shown them his word. I told them to celebrate how God’s word had led them back to him. They all went home to celebrate and then came back to follow the feast of booths just as God had prescribed in his word for this month of each year.” – Nehemiah 8 paraphrased.
Dear heavenly Father,
Your word is always powerful to bring hearts back to you. Visit my church with the same kind of leadership that you gave the people in Nehemiah and Ezra. Give us leaders who will read Scripture and explain it plainly to your people. Use that word to cleanse hearts, show your love and change people from the inside out. Open the hearts of the people to understand, accept, love and cherish your word. Give them excitement to change their own lives and bring them in line with your truth. Make your presence known in the way you restore your people today to godly faith and living. Sweep through your people Lord and restore them to ardent Christianity.
AMEN
Pastor Don Patterson
God’s word will do amazing things if we will but let it out of its kennel.