February 3, 2023
Remember the Lord
Nehemiah - “Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!’” (Nehemiah 4:14)
DAILY DEVOTION
In the scripture above, Nehemiah is rallying the troops. He's relieving their fears. He's reinforcing their confidence. He does this by saying, "Remember the Lord." That's where our confidence comes from. Remembering the Lord always brings us confidence! It's interesting that many wars have been fought with slogans that started with "Remember..." The cry of the Spanish-American War was "Remember the Maine." In Texas, it was "Remember the Alamo.” In World War I, it was "Remember the Lusitania.” In World War II was "Remember Pearl Harbor.” Those battle cries were based on defeats -- “Remember that defeat back there, now let's go get them!” However, Nehemiah does the exact opposite. He doesn't say, “Remember our defeat! Remember when we got exiled to Babylon!” Instead, he says, "Remember the Lord!" He cries out, "Let's look at the future. Let’s get our eyes off of the opposition and get our eyes on the Lord."
When we're under attack, if the devil can get us to focus on the opposition, he's won a major victory. We’ll either focus on the opposition or we’ll focus on the Lord. We can focus on our financial statements or we can focus on the Lord. We can either focus on the rising interest rates or we can focus on the Lord. We can either focus on the economy or we can focus on the Lord. The Devil wants us to focus on the opposition, but if we will focus on the Lord we will experience victory.
Nehemiah helped the people remember what the Lord was like. He says, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and glorious." When we honor and fear the Lord, then we’re not going to fear our opponents. The fear of God replaces the fear of man. If we don't fear God then we’re afraid of men. If we’re afraid of men then we’re not afraid of God. If we have a reverential fear of God then we don't have to fear anyone else because we know that what we’re doing is pleasing to the Lord.
When we’re under attack, it’s good for us to remember these words of King David, “The Lord is my light & my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies & foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3)
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY
On a piece of paper, write out Psalm 27:1-3. Post it somewhere where you will see it everyday. Then, whenever you are afraid, read the scripture, pray, and remember the Lord. If you’re leading your family through this devotion, read Psalm 27:1-3 in unison. Then, have each person write out the scripture and then post it somewhere where they will see it everyday. Encourage them to read it and pray whenever they are afraid.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, whenever I am afraid, help me to remember You and Your goodness in my life. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.