Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Nehemiah 8 and Psalm 20

The temple had been prepared for worship. The City wall had been repaired and the gates had been set in place. From the 25th day of the month of Elul (Neh. 6:15), the sixth month, nothing physical prevented the people from gathering en masse to worship. All they needed now was the desire!

Five days later, on the first day of the seventh month, “all the people came together as one” to worship and to hear the Word of God read and explained.

Imagine yourself in a great crowd of people who have gathered together outside the front of your church building. Imagine that a recent pandemic is over, all restrictions are lifted, and God’s people are free to worship together again. There are so many people that it’s impossible to have the Service inside. An outdoor platform has been built for the occasion. The worship leader stands up and prays a heartfelt prayer of praise. As he prays, you join your heart in agreement with his words and spontaneously raise your hands in the air as a physical expression of your heart being raised to give God glory. As the prayer ends you join with an enthusiastic, “Amen, amen!” You’re shocked to hear everyone around you doing the same. You open your eyes only to see that every other hand is also lifted in praise. Not a single person is standing with their hands by their sides, in their pockets or folded across ther chest. All are worshiping as one.

At the very same moment, deeply moved in spirit, you all fall to your knees and bow down with your foreheads touching the ground in awe and wonder. In your hearts you know, “The Holy God is moving in this place!!”

That day the vast crowd stands spellbound as the preacher does nothing but read from God’s Word. Every now and then he stops reading and the other preachers, elders and small-group leaders gather you into huddles to talk through the meaning and application of what you’ve just heard. How is this
possible? For six whole hours no one seems disengaged or distracted, and no one leaves. Quite frankly, you decide in your heart, this is nothing less than revival! This is a miracle!

It was a miracle in Nehemiah’s day too. The people were hungry for corporate worship and hungry for God’s Word. But it still took a powerful move of the Holy Spirit to gather the people of God like this to worship and receive the Word as one.

Holy Spirit, do it again! Awaken my faith community with a spirit of passionate praise and an irresistible hunger for worship. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.