Global Church of the Nazarene DAY 31 OF 40 - Better Together Through Prayer And The Word

Global Church of the Nazarene DAY 31 OF 40 - 

Better Together Through Prayer And The Word

Nehemiah 9:1-3

1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God.

DAY 31 – SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Just a few days later, the Israelites again gathered together. This time it was not to hear the Word read, but for a time of confession…

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 9:1 Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth on them. 2 The offspring[a] of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 They stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Yahweh their God a fourth part of the day; and a fourth part they confessed, and worshiped Yahweh their God.

Footnotes:

a. Nehemiah 9:2 or, seed

Fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads were public signs of sorrow and repentance. Those of Israelite descent had already separated themselves from all foreigners. It was thought that if they married a foreigner, they would be enticed to worship their idols and forget about the one true God. God had made it important for them to be “separate” from non-Israelite people.

As they stood in their places, they not only confessed their sins, but the sins (wickedness) of their fathers. The process of their assembly was…read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day…then they spent another quarter of the day in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. Reading the Word first helped them to know the sins of wickedness they needed to confess. Following confession was a time of worship.

Their attire revealed signs of sorrow and confession (repentance). Repentance is the activity of reviewing one’s actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs. In repenting a person is called to make a radical turn from one way of life to another.

LIFE APPLICATION:

With such I hasten to the place Where God my Savior shows His face And gladly take my station there And wait for Thee, Sweet hour of prayer.

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