A pond near Athens, Texas. Picture by Mark Rusch.
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi
In the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,
when the wine was in my charge,
I took some and offered it to the king.
As I had never before been sad in his presence,
the king asked me, “Why do you look sad?
If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart.”
Though I was seized with great fear, I answered the king:
“May the king live forever!
How could I not look sad
when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins,
and its gates have been eaten out by fire?”
The king asked me, “What is it, then, that you wish?”
I prayed to the God of heaven and then answered the king:
“If it please the king,
and if your servant is deserving of your favor,
send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves,
to rebuild it.”
Then the king, and the queen seated beside him,
asked me how long my journey would take
and when I would return.
I set a date that was acceptable to him,
and the king agreed that I might go.
I asked the king further: “If it please the king,
let letters be given to me for the governors
of West-of-Euphrates,
that they may afford me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah;
also a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the royal park,
that he may give me wood for timbering the gates
of the temple-citadel and for the city wall
and the house that I shall occupy.”
The king granted my requests,
for the favoring hand of my God was upon me.
Emphasis mine: Neh 2:1-8
We included the full text of the Old Testament reading because I, yes, I just learned something fascinating about what would happen.
The Jewish people rebelled against God by Not doing God’s will and, even more importantly, worshiping false gods and worshiping false gods in the Temple, where God had given the Jewish people strict commands that this could never happen.
The Jewish people blew god off and went their merry way.
Well, God took Umbridge to their actions and had Nebuchadnezzar of Babalon conquer the Jewish nation and carry off a remnant to Babalon, and Jeremiah told them that they would be in Babylon for seventy years (Jer 25:11).
Seventy years passed, and the Holy Spirit moved Nehemiah to petition King Artaxerxes to allow Nehemiah to return to rebuild the Jewish Temple.
Before Nehemiah spoke, he prayed, notice the absolute power of the King, for Nehemiah first prayed that the King would live forever. I don’t believe this prayer is offered in our society for our current and past leaders; in fact, many offer just the opposite – satan.
Nehemiah’s prayer is answered; he joined the Jewish people who had returned to Jerusalem before Nehemiah, which was as big a miracle as the exodus from Egypt. The Jews, when they returned, started building their houses, not God’s.
Nehemiah encouraged them to rebuild the Temple, Gates, and wall surrounding the city.
The whole story of the Jewish people being released by their captors to return and build a temple to an unknown God to non-Jewish people is remarkable.
Only the Jewish people, no other race, and it happened twice, and this was what I learned recently from Rabbi Jason Sobel. I knew about the first exodus but didn’t appreciate the second, which was just as powerful.
It pleased the King and his wife because the Holy Spirit worked within them.
Question:
Is this a story about the Jewish people returning to build a temple of stone and wood three thousand years ago, or could this be a story of you and I and our relationship with the Triune God and our restoring the living Temple that exists in every Baptized person?
Because we have the Sacrament of Confession, we can rebuild our Temple.
It is also important to remember that when we sin, God doesn’t love us less; WE pull away because of our sin from God. Confession helps us draw closer to God.
Once again, we point to the power of prayer.
Your prayer can change you and the people around you.
We suggest three relationship-building prayers this quarter if you want to join and grow in Team Jesus.
- Weeeeeeeee, say this prayer every time you and God interact. For example, weeeeeee made a great meal, Weeeee played a good game of …, Weeeee didn’t handle this very well, etc.
- Thank you, Father; say this all day, every day, for all the Father is doing in your life. If something really good happens, say this multiple times with enthusiasm. When I was told my Basel Cell had disappeared, I said the Thank You prayer at least fifty times as I walked out of the doctor’s office.
- I’m Fantastic; anytime anyone asks how you are, tell them you are Fantastic. I believe you are who you say you are. You have every reason to be Fantastic and no reason not to be. If you can’t think of a reason to be Fantastic, thank God for the difficulty, and God will provide you with the reasons.
Sidebar:
This Wednesday is the Memorial of St. Francis.
We are mentioning this because we are at a turning point in history.
The articles I read, and I only read the headlines, tell me that everything is wrong. The world will end any day now if we don’t correct the climate; add to that that many disregard our laws, and churches are losing members.
We could go on and on, but you know what we are talking about because you have the same information shoved down your throat.
St. Francis was a fascinating person for me, and we would like to share a story about St. Francis.
St. Francis was walking towards a town with another Friar, and Francis said he wanted to preach the gospel to people in that town. The friar asked if he could join Francis.
Francis said, “Yes.”
They entered the town, and Francis helped an elderly person cross the road, played a game with some children, and prayed with someone who had lost a loved one.
As they were leaving the town, Francis’s companion asked when are we going to preach?
Francis responded, “We just did.”
For way too many years I, I, yes, felt I had to do some great act to further the kingdom of God. As we reported last week, this is absolutely not true. A small prayer group at Asbury College started a prayer group last year, resulting in a Revival at Asbury College that spread to many other campuses.
Last week, we reported that five girls started a prayer group at Auburn University, and in a short time, it grew to over five thousand people, with over two hundred people being Baptized one night.
A few people started a prayer group, and it exploded from there.
Never underestimate the power of a small kind act or constant prayer.
God wants you to carry the banner and further Their Kingdom.
Furthering the Kingdome is what we are created for and is the Job we are asked to do.
Easy!
Picture:
Taken on an afternoon walk with my wife post-Thanksgiving dinner 2020.
Just a pond near Athens, Texas. Picture by Mark Rusch.
Please keep Snapping!
Several people from foreign countries have asked for my email address, but I am still waiting to hear back. We decided to include my email for your convenience.
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed, email me.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
By sending your picture, you consent to allow us to reprint that picture in our next book, God Thoughts 2023, with your name and any comments in the Blog.
