Gracious Hand

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I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
- Nehemiah 2:18

Nehemiah’s testimony about God’s gracious hand at work for him gave the people the faith they needed to actively move into the future.

These people had lived for decades with broken walls and burned up gates. They knew how to piece together a life in this city. Perhaps they’d even found ways to justify the condition of the city. The change that Nehemiah proposed would be a radical one.

Only the belief that God was actively involved and working on their behalf could give the people the confidence to start rebuilding. And that belief so often proves elusive.

What would you do if you were confident that the gracious hand of your God was on you? We fear that our grand ambitions rely solely on the resources that are at our own disposal. We ratchet down our ambitions to fit what we can accomplish on our own. We aim too low.

God’s people do fail from time to time. We all know this. But the same God whose presence fills us with courage to dare greatly is the God whose grace, love, and acceptance covers all of our failures.

When God’s gracious hand is on us we must have the courage to step up, step out, and step forward. God brings so much good into our world and our lives when we do. Perhaps someone somewhere is waiting right now for you to take your faith-filled step.

Try praying this prayer today:
Gracious God,
Help me to see where your hand of grace is upon me. Give me the courage to do the good work you want me to do. Help me to see where your hand of grace is present in the world. Give me the boldness to join your good work.
In Christ’s name,
Amen

1 Comment

Good!Good!Good! Really good word for me today--thank you!

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