Bible Reading: Nehemiah 11:3-17
Key
Verse: Verse 17 – “And Mattaniah the son of Micha,
the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal
to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren,
and Abda the son of
Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.”
Key
Words: begin the thanksgiving in prayerAfter the Babylonian
captivity, Nehemiah led the nation of Israel
in rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem
and in restoring the temple and in restoring the worship of God. After the restoration of the walls and
temple, the people of Israel
gathered together in a thanksgiving service, and Mattaniah, a leader of the
tribe of Levi, began the service with a prayer of thanksgiving.
Now, this raises a
question in my mind: how do we begin and end our prayers? Do we do this by giving thanks to God?
The Rev. Leslie F.
Church related the following story at the annual meeting of the British and
Foreign Bible Society:
A friend of his was
staying in Yorkshire one very wet Sunday with
two other friends. On the way to church
he was told they would be the only people there probably, and that the service
would be taken by a lay preacher who would have walked fifteen miles over the
hills in the pouring rain to get there.
“Is he a great preacher?” the friend asked. “No, but he can pray. He always begins, continues, and ends with
thanking God.” Sure enough, they were
the whole congregation, and the old man came into the pulpit, drenched through
with the rain, but punctual. He began
his prayer thus: “Almighty God, we thank Thee that it is not always as bad as
this.”
Let me encourage each of us to begin and end our
prayer with thanksgiving to God.
What to do:
✞
Always include thanksgiving to God
in your prayer. ✞ Let others see and hear your life of thanksgiving.
