2023_10_25 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- Nehemiah 8-9, Haggai 1
This week’s reading is an excellent lesson in honesty and humility. In Nehemiah, after the miraculous rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall in less than two months, the Israelites were amazed at what God had done through, and for, them. They wanted to celebrate all God had done, and in chapters 8 and 9 we see the community’s eagerness to thank and praise Him. In their worship, they made an honest admission that their ancestors were regularly blessed by God, only to turn their backs on Him when it suited their interests. The people then acknowledged their ancestor’s sin saying, “in their time of trouble they cried to you, and you heard them from heaven. In your great mercy, you sent them liberators who rescued them from their enemies. 28 “But as soon as they were at peace, your people again committed evil in your sight…” Nehemiah 9:27,28 (NLT).
There is a name for this kind of faith, “fox-hole conversion”. This comes from the adage that “there are no atheists in foxholes”. No one knows who, or when, this was coined, but many who have fought in battle acknowledge its accuracy. I had a great friend, Ed, who sure did. Ed served several tours in Vietnam and on more than one occasion he cried out to God to save him when his life was in danger. Each time Ed promised to follow God if He rescued him. God did, and each time Ed went back to living on his own terms. Years later, Ed called me and said, “I’m ready to make good on my promise to God.” He was baptized and began learning how to follow Christ. There were many times when Ed would find a way to help someone in need anonymously by sending money to them through me. I would tell him how much it was appreciated, and his regular response was to spit out a date like “June 1968”. The first time he did it I asked what in the world he meant, and his reply was that it was a time God had rescued him and a reminder of what he owed God.
God isn’t interested in us paying Him back, but He does want us to remember all He has done and live lives of humble, obedient gratitude. We see this in Nehemiah 8 and 9 as a whole community worships. That is an example worth emulating!
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor