Day 36
… “Stand
up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your
glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
Nehemiah
9:5
In
the midst of the trial and struggle that we sometimes know as life, it is easy
to focus on the wrong things. It is tempting to focus on all that is going
wrong, all that is a frustration, and all that might gets us down. We are, by
nature, tempted to grumble and complain. However, we must fight these temptations
and focus on the goodness and faithfulness of our God.
In
a matter of a couple of months, the people of Jerusalem have been through a
life time of ups and downs. They have experienced success in the building of
the wall. They have also dealt with a number of frustrations. There have been
threats made against them, difficulties amongst them, and the constant
adjusting of their plans.
Having
come to the end of the building of the wall and seeing all that still needs to
be done, it would have been easy for them to grow discouraged. However, their
spiritual leaders do a great job of refocusing their attention. Instead of
allowing the situation to become overwhelming, they redirect them to focus on
the faithfulness and goodness of God. They instruct the people to give God
praise. This simple act puts the people in control of their thought patterns
and prevents the situation from taking over.
Frustration,
discouragement, and a sense of being overwhelmed are all a part of life. The choice
that we must make is between focusing on what is wrong and focusing on the
Goodness of God. If we make a conscious decision to focus on God, we can keep
our minds in the right place. Our God’s name is a glorious name. He is to be
exalted above all. He is worthy of our praise. Choose to focus on the goodness
and faithfulness of God today. Do not sacrifice your joy.
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