What Kind of Wall Are We To Be?
(Cecilia Chow, CIC Facilitator, Discipleship & Nurture)
READ:
Nehemiah 12 and Psalm 27 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Nehemiah 12 recounts the lineage of the priests and Levites. It also describes the dedication of the wall and the service at the temple.
As the priests and the Levites purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates and the wall. The dedication was celebrated in gladness, thanksgiving and singing.
Praise and celebration in songs hold a prominent role in thanksgiving worship. God had made the people rejoice with great joy, so much so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
If Nehemiah 12 describes the physical ongoings of the wall dedication and the temple service, then Psalm 27 could be felt as the parallel echoes of the people’s hearts toward God.
Psalm 27, broken into 2 parts, shows David’s confession from vv1-6 and David’s prayer from vv7-14.
David’s confession of the Lord being his light and salvation shows us that because the Lord is his stronghold, David can stand confident and need not fear his enemies. Also, David shows his focus on the Lord and not on wishing evil upon his enemies. Because of the Lord’s protection, he could offer sacrificial shouts of joy and songs of praise to the Lord.
From vv7-14, David prays for God’s continued presence and protection in his life. He seeks God’s teachings and ways, looking upon the goodness of the Lord.
APPLY
Because the Lord is my light and my salvation, I seek to dwell in assurance in His house forever.
Because the Lord is my protector, I can turn my enemies over to God and not deal with them myself.
Because the Lord is my strength, I shall be fearful of none, focusing myself on God and not on my enemies.
DO
That I may wait for the Lord; be strong, and let my heart take courage; wait for you, Lord! -Psalm 27:14.
PRAY
Father Lord, may we as believers, be living stones, “being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood.” – 1 Peter 2:5-6.
May we as a family of believers, stand together as a wall, that by doing so, we create a sanctuary where You inhabit.
That we, in our being, be not a wall of separation, exclusion or imprisonment, but one of faith, salvation and glory.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
