Nehemiah 2:1-10

After Nehemiah heard about the desperate condition of the Jews who had returned from exile to Jerusalem, his heart was burdened (Neh. 1:3-4). By getting his attention in this way, the Lord could reveal what He wanted Nehemiah was to do. Scripture doesn’t spell out the man’s reaction on realizing that he was to be a part of the solution, but we can imagine a sense of inadequacy probably engulfed him. How could he possibly help? He wasn’t even near Jerusalem, and as a servant of the king, he didn’t have the freedom to pack up and leave.

But whenever God puts a burden on our hearts, He will open a door to accomplish His will. In this case, the Lord used Nehemiah’s sad expression and desperate prayer to prepare a pagan king to send him on his mission.

How do you respond when you sense the Lord is calling you to a task that seems beyond your abilities? Do you list all the reasons you can’t possibly do it? God already knows everything about you and the situation. He’s not asking your permission to proceed; rather, He is calling you to move forward with faith and obedience. He didn’t make an error in choosing you for the task, but you will make a huge mistake if you refuse to do it.

God will equip you for whatever He calls you to do. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer, we have all we need to fulfill the Lord’s mission. Instead of letting inadequacy hinder you from obeying, let it drive you to your knees so you can arise with renewed insight and power

“The story I have to tell is the history of the next two centuries….For a long time now our whole civilization has been driving, with a tortured intensity growing from decade to decade, as if towards a catastrophe: restlessly, violently, tempestuously, like a mighty river desiring the end of its journey, without pausing to reflect, indeed fearful of reflection….Where we live, soon nobody will be able to exist.”(1)

Friedrich Nietzsche penned these words as he looked out onto a world devoid of God. His vision casts a bleak view of humanity and paints a frightening portrait of atheism. Nietzsche’s vision directly contrasts with the optimistic musings of a world without God penned by John Lennon:

Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace.(2)

In fact, the twentieth century told a far different tale than a life of present bliss and peace without God. Under atheistic regimes like Stalin in Russia or Pol Pot in Cambodia millions of people were slaughtered. Indeed, Nietzsche offers a healthy critique of the optimistic atheism of Lennon or the more recent British slogan that there is probably no God so we should stop worrying about it and enjoy life. In reality, there is great cause for worry if Nietzsche’s picture of a world without God is allowed full sway. That world is a very grim place filled with darkness, amorality, and despair.

Nietzsche’s vision in and of itself helps the theist formulate a healthy offensive to the typical onslaught of the atheist’s critique of religion. But it also provides an impetus to ask additional questions of those who see a positive view of atheism. If there is no God, for example, “the big questions” remain unanswered. Where did everything come from and why is there something rather than nothing? Why is there conscious, intelligent life on this planet and is there any meaning? Does human history lead anywhere or is it all in vain since death is merely the end? How does one come to understand good and evil, right and wrong? If these concepts are merely social constructions or human opinions, where does one look to determine morality?

Second, without belief in God we not only have a crisis of morality, we have a crisis of meaning. Without God, as Nietzsche articulated, meaning becomes nothing more than one’s own self-interests, pleasures, or tastes. Without God, the world is just stuff, thrown out into space and time, going nowhere, meaning nothing.

In addition, the problems of evil and suffering are in no way solved without God. Where does one find hope for the redemption of suffering and evil? Suffering is just as tragic, if not more so, without God because there is no hope of greater meaning. Without God it is neither redemptive nor redeemable, since no interventions in this life or reparations in an afterlife are possible. It might be true that there is no God to blame now, but neither is there a God to reach out to for strength, transcendent meaning, or comfort. There is only madness and confusion in the face of suffering and evil.

Moreover, without God or any sort of transcendent standard, how can atheists critique religions or religious people in the first place? Whose voice will be heard? Whose tastes or preferences will be honored? Without God, human tastes and opinions have no more weight than we give them, and who are we to give them meaning anyway? Societies might make things “illegal” and impose penalties or consequences, but human cultures have at various times legally or socially disapproved of everything from believing in God to believing the world revolves around the sun, from slavery to interracial marriage, from polygamy to monogamy. Human taste or opinion, societal laws or culture are hardly dependable arbiters of truth.

Finally, if there is no God, we don’t make sense. How does one explain human longings and desire for the transcendent? How do we explain human questions for meaning and purpose or inner thoughts of unfulfillment or emptiness? Why do humans hunger for the spiritual? How can we understand these questions if nothing exists beyond the material world? How do we get laws out of luck or predictable processes out of brute chance? If all that makes us different from animals is learning and altruism, why do the brutish still widely outnumber the wise in our world?

Nietzsche argued that the death of God would bring the upheaval of all morality and meaning and not its preservation. At these questions, atheists who see the possibility of morality, meaning, and hope without God are reminded of their own prophetic heritage.

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington. 

(1) As quoted by Erich Heller in The Importance of Nietzsche (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), 5.

(2) John Lennon, Imagine (September, 1971).

Morning   “The hope which is laid up for you in heaven.” / Colossians 1:5

Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our
joy here. It will animate our hearts to think often of heaven, for all that we
can desire is promised there. Here we are weary and toilworn, but yonder is
the land of rest where the sweat of labour shall no more bedew the worker’s
brow, and fatigue shall be forever banished. To those who are weary and spent,
the word “rest” is full of heaven. We are always in the field of battle; we
are so tempted within, and so molested by foes without, that we have little or
no peace; but in heaven we shall enjoy the victory, when the banner shall be
waved aloft in triumph, and the sword shall be sheathed, and we shall hear our
Captain say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We have suffered
bereavement after bereavement, but we are going to the land of the immortal
where graves are unknown things. Here sin is a constant grief to us, but there
we shall be perfectly holy, for there shall by no means enter into that
kingdom anything which defileth. Hemlock springs not up in the furrows of
celestial fields. Oh! is it not joy, that you are not to be in banishment
forever, that you are not to dwell eternally in this wilderness, but shall
soon inherit Canaan? Nevertheless let it never be said of us, that we are
dreaming about the future and forgetting the present, let the future sanctify
the present to highest uses. Through the Spirit of God the hope of heaven is
the most potent force for the product of virtue; it is a fountain of joyous
effort, it is the corner stone of cheerful holiness. The man who has this hope
in him goes about his work with vigour, for the joy of the Lord is his
strength. He fights against temptation with ardour, for the hope of the next
world repels the fiery darts of the adversary. He can labour without present
reward, for he looks for a reward in the world to come.

Evening “A man greatly beloved.” / Daniel 10:11

Child of God, do you hesitate to appropriate this title? Ah! has your unbelief
made you forget that you are greatly beloved too? Must you not have been
greatly beloved, to have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, as of
a lamb without blemish and without spot? When God smote his only begotten Son
for you, what was this but being greatly beloved? You lived in sin, and rioted
in it, must you not have been greatly beloved for God to have borne so
patiently with you? You were called by grace and led to a Saviour, and made a
child of God and an heir of heaven. All this proves, does it not, a very great
and superabounding love? Since that time, whether your path has been rough
with troubles, or smooth with mercies, it has been full of proofs that you are
a man greatly beloved. If the Lord has chastened you, yet not in anger; if he
has made you poor, yet in grace you have been rich. The more unworthy you feel
yourself to be, the more evidence have you that nothing but unspeakable love
could have led the Lord Jesus to save such a soul as yours. The more demerit
you feel, the clearer is the display of the abounding love of God in having
chosen you, and called you, and made you an heir of bliss. Now, if there be
such love between God and us let us live in the influence and sweetness of it,
and use the privilege of our position. Do not let us approach our Lord as
though we were strangers, or as though he were unwilling to hear us–for we
are greatly beloved by our loving Father. “He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?” Come boldly, O believer, for despite the whisperings of Satan and the
doubtings of thine own heart, thou art greatly beloved. Meditate on the
exceeding greatness and faithfulness of divine love this evening, and so go to
thy bed in peace.

Man greatly loved.    Daniel 10:11

Child of God, do you hesitate to appropriate this title? Has your unbelief made you forget that you are also greatly loved? Surely you must have been greatly loved, to have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot? When God crushed His only Son for you, what was this but being greatly loved? You lived in sin and rioted in it; surely you were greatly loved for God to have been so patient with you. You were called by grace and led to a Savior and made a child of God and an heir of heaven. Doesn’t this all prove a very great and superabounding love?

Since that time, whether your path has been rough with troubles or smooth with mercies, it has been full of proofs that you are greatly loved. If the Lord has chastened you, it was not in anger; if He has made you poor, still in grace you have been rich. The more unworthy you feel yourself to be, the more evidence you have that nothing but unspeakable love could have led the Lord Jesus to save a soul like yours. The more disapproval you feel, the clearer is the display of God’s abounding love in choosing you and calling you and making you an heir of heaven.

Now, if such love exists between God and us, let us live in the influence and sweetness of it and use the privilege of our position. We should not approach our Lord as though we were strangers or as though He were unwilling to hear us—for we are greatly loved by our loving Father. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”1 Come boldly, believer, for despite the whispers of Satan and the doubts of your own heart, you are greatly loved. Meditate on the exceeding greatness and faithfulness of divine love this evening, and then go to your bed in peace.

1Romans 8:32

Family Reading Plan    Ezekiel 35    Psalm 85

 Nehemiah 1:1-11

Nehemiah was a man who lived on his knees. Whenever he needed guidance, strength, provision, or protection, his first response was prayer. Because of Nehemiah’s humble dependence, God was able to use him greatly to achieve His purposes.

This principle is still true for believers today. God can use us in the most awesome fashion if we’ll seek Him and make ourselves available. He has a calling for each of us and doesn’t want us wasting the opportunities He provides.

To follow Nehemiah’s example of dependent prayer, we must first recognize God as the sovereign Ruler of the universe (v. 5). Although He’s our loving Father and loyal Friend, we must never forget that He is also our high and exalted Creator whose holiness is beyond our comprehension. Never think of the Lord as “the man upstairs” or come into His presence in a frivolous manner.

Because Nehemiah respected the awesome holiness of God, he approached Him with confession, admitting not only his sin, but his father’s and Israel’s as well (vv. 6-7). We cannot hide, deny, or cherish sin and expect the Lord to hear and answer our prayers. Purity of heart and the power of God are linked. We need the sensitivity to instantly recognize when we’ve strayed, and the willingness to deal with sin immediately.

The reason Nehemiah stood so tall and strong was not due to his natural abilities, but because he developed a relationship of dependency on the Lord through prayer. The same can be true for you. Don’t rush into your day without taking time to enter God’s throne room to seek His guidance.

Swedish chemist Alfred Bernhard Nobel was once largely known as a maker and inventor of explosives. In 1866 Nobel invented dynamite, which earned him both fame and the majority of his wealth. At one point in his life he held more than 350 patents, operated labs in 20 countries, and had more than 90 factories manufacturing explosives and ammunition. Yet today he is most often remembered as the name behind the Nobel Prize, the most highly regarded of international awards for efforts in peace, chemistry, physics, literature, and economics.

In 1888 a bizarre incident occurred, which seemed to have afforded Alfred Nobel an unlikely opportunity for reflection. Many believe it was this event that ultimately led to his establishment of the Nobel Prize and subsequent change in his reputation. Alfred’s brother Ludvig died while staying in Cannes, France, but the French newspapers mistakenly confused the two brothers, reporting the death of the inventor of explosives. One paper’s headline read brusquely: “Le marchand de la mort est mort”—the merchant of death is dead.

I can’t imagine reading the headlines of my life written at the hands of my harshest critic, but I do remember laboring over an assignment in middle school in which I was required to write my own obituary. Some of the class was given the task of writing it as if they died well in their eighties; others had to write as if they died that year. The assignment was meant to incite reflection, and in most of us it did—particularly those of us who were designated early deaths. As in the case with Alfred Nobel, my premature obituary suggested headlines I did not want to live with; that I was the one writing them made this all the more sobering.

In a very real sense, I am still (as is each of us) the writer of my own obituary. But I am no longer thinking about the words and headlines in the way I was thinking about them in middle school. As I struggled to find the words, it seemed I had so little with which to work—no graduations, no family, no accomplishments worth mentioning, no overarching purpose for my life. I was imagining all the things I had not done and feeling quite insignificant about the things I had. At that point in time, it seemed clear that a few more years were necessary in order to make a meaningful headline.

Today I realize that a life well lived is not about time at all. The writers of Scripture seem less concerned with the reputation we leave behind as they are with the reputation we are moving toward. “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness” before people, to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1). There is the sense that our hearts hold the words of an obituary that no one here will fully see. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

The headlines we write on earth are printed on pages that will eventually fade and crumble. But there is one who reads the words imprinted across our hearts, engraved on the lives we have affected, stored up as treasures in a greater kingdom. As he stood with his tempter high on a mountain taking in the kingdoms of the world and all of the splendor that was being offered to him, Jesus considered the reputation of God and not his own. As he hung on the Cross, scorning its shame, he took death instead of glory; he bore the disgrace of man instead of the splendor of God.  His obituary was insignificant to all but a few.  And then he rose from the grave, forever rewriting the headlines of all who would believe.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Morning  “Pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.” /
Song of Solomon 7:13

The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has “all
manner of pleasant fruits,” both “old and new,” and they are laid up for our
Beloved. At this rich autumnal season of fruit, let us survey our stores. We
have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish
to make new resolves and carry them out by new labours; our heart blossoms
with new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts. But we have
some old fruits too. There is our first love: a choice fruit that! and Jesus
delights in it. There is our first faith: that simple faith by which, having
nothing, we became possessors of all things. There is our joy when first we
knew the Lord: let us revive it. We have our old remembrances of the promises.
How faithful has God been! In sickness, how softly did he make our bed! In
deep waters, how placidly did he buoy us up! In the flaming furnace, how
graciously did he deliver us. Old fruits, indeed! We have many of them, for
his mercies have been more than the hairs of our head. Old sins we must
regret, but then we have had repentances which he has given us, by which we
have wept our way to the cross, and learned the merit of his blood. We have
fruits, this morning, both new and old; but here is the point–they are all
laid up for Jesus. Truly, those are the best and most acceptable services in
which Jesus is the solitary aim of the soul, and his glory, without any
admixture whatever, the end of all our efforts. Let our many fruits be laid up
only for our Beloved; let us display them when he is with us, and not hold
them up before the gaze of men. Jesus, we will turn the key in our garden
door, and none shall enter to rob thee of one good fruit from the soil which
thou hast watered with thy bloody sweat. Our all shall be thine, thine only, O
Jesus, our Beloved!

Evening  “He will give grace and glory.” / Psalm 84:11

Bounteous is Jehovah in his nature; to give is his delight. His gifts are
beyond measure precious, and are as freely given as the light of the sun. He
gives grace to his elect because he wills it, to his redeemed because of his
covenant, to the called because of his promise, to believers because they seek
it, to sinners because they need it. He gives grace abundantly, seasonably,
constantly, readily, sovereignly; doubly enhancing the value of the boon by
the manner of its bestowal. Grace in all its forms he freely renders to his
people: comforting, preserving, sanctifying, directing, instructing, assisting
grace, he generously pours into their souls without ceasing, and he always
will do so, whatever may occur. Sickness may befall, but the Lord will give
grace; poverty may happen to us, but grace will surely be afforded; death must
come but grace will light a candle at the darkest hour. Reader, how blessed it
is as years roll round, and the leaves begin again to fall, to enjoy such an
unfading promise as this, “The Lord will give grace.”

The little conjunction “and” in this verse is a diamond rivet binding the
present with the future: grace and glory always go together. God has married
them, and none can divorce them. The Lord will never deny a soul glory to whom
he has freely given to live upon his grace; indeed, glory is nothing more than
grace in its Sabbath dress, grace in full bloom, grace like autumn fruit,
mellow and perfected. How soon we may have glory none can tell! It may be
before this month of October has run out we shall see the Holy City; but be
the interval longer or shorter, we shall be glorified ere long. Glory, the
glory of heaven, the glory of eternity, the glory of Jesus, the glory of the
Father, the Lord will surely give to his chosen. Oh, rare promise of a
faithful God!

Two golden links of one celestial chain:

Who owneth grace shall surely glory gain.