DAY 166

PERSISTENCE

Nehemiah 1, 2 & 3 and Acts 2:1-21

There is this “persistence” in today’s readings. Persistence over the city of Jerusalem; persistence by God. First to the city: David founded it, Solomon adorned it, the kings of Judah had an “on again-off again” relationship with it, the kings of the northern territory feared it…and into Jesus’ own time it served as a center of worship and controversy.

The opening chapters of the Book of Nehemiah bring us into the “third wave” of people returning to this great city following the exile. Nehemiah receives the news that the city walls and gates are in disrepair and therefore the people in danger. Nehemiah is quick to act. He receives the king’s permission and support, surveys the situation at night, and divides and organizes the people.

Center to Nehemiah’s actions is his prayer. Consider chapter one: Nehemiah wanted to go to Jerusalem, but he first sought God’s guidance through a positive response from his boss, the king. We are often moved by situations in our lives, the key is to seek God.

In the New Testament we read of the Feast of Pentecost…it is taking place in Jerusalem. People from many nations are gathered as they have made one of the three annually required pilgrimages to the Temple. All should be going to seek God. Yet going to the Temple can be done out of obligation or sincerity. Often times we can allow our religious practices to slip into some rote performance, and other times we can sincerely be seeking God. Remarkably God persists. He is present regardless of our condition. At times he will break through our numbness and awaken us, at times he will meet our sincerity, and at times he will move his hand and we will be in the presence of this Otherness – the Day of Pentecost is a day of Otherness, a Day of the Holy Spirit.

Can you imagine, have you experienced, the Holy Spirit of God sweeping through a place? At times it is peaceful, at times it is private, and at times palpable to all. The point is not so much the dramatic external evidence, but rather what is happening on the inside. God persists. He persists in his world and in his children. Earlier I posted on the Promise of the Father and how it culminates in this day in history. God has told us this day is coming, he has laid the foundation for this day with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone…He persists…not for a city…but for his people…you and me.