“Stand up and thank the Lord your God” (Nehemiah
9:5). This is a call to worship. We worship God, our Creator: “You
alone are the Lord. You made heaven ... You made the earth” (Nehemiah
9:6). The God of Abraham is our God - the faithful God: “You made a
promise ... You kept Your promise” (Nehemiah 9:8). Our God is the God of
redemption. He’s the God who redeemed His people, Israel, from their
bondage in Egypt (Nehemiah 9:9-11). He is the God who has given us
“commandments, laws and teachings” (Nehemiah 9:14). He gives us “bread”
and “water”, as we stumble through life’s wilderness, on our way to His
promised land (Nehemiah 9:15). Our God is great: “You are a forgiving
God, One who is compassionate, merciful,patient, and always ready to
forgive” (Nehemiah 9:17). He is the God of “endless compassion”
(Nehemiah 9:19). He has given us “His good Spirit” to teach us (Nehemiah
9:20). He blesses us, with His “vast supply of good things” (Nehemiah
9:25). “Our God” is “the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God.” He is
the “merciful and compassionate God” (Nehemiah 9:31-32).
“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). This joyful thanksgiving is only a foretaste of the greater joy and thanksgiving of heaven: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the city of God, “the glory of God” will be shining with everlasting brightness (Revelation 21:23). The Church of God will be “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The beautiful picture of the godly wife in Proverbs 31 gives us an outline of what God is seeking to do in His people. It is summarized in Proverbs 31:30: “A woman who fears the Lord is to be
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