Joseph's staying in Berk through saturday evening because of a club tennis tournament, so I decided to come home a day early via the 11:30am shuttle from berkeley to davis. The extra time at home might do me good, since I've been fighting some sort of cold for the past few days. I got a lot of work done.

Devotion time questions:

Nehemiah 1

What consequences to his life resulted from Nehemiah’s choice to ask questions about the welfare of the Jewish remnant and Jerusalem?

He devoted himself to praying and fasting for his people and for Jerusalem.

What was Nehemiah’s reaction to the news he received?

He began to seek God and ask for mercy on behalf of the Jews. His first thought was to ask for God to intervene, rather than try anything in his own power.

What are some notable elements of Nehemiah’s prayer?

He first praises God, then repents for himself and his people, before asking God for deliverance.

Nehemiah refers to God as the great and awesome God. How can Nehemiah view God this way given what has happened to Jerusalem?

Nehemiah knows that it was the sinfulness of his people that resulted in the exile and destruction of Jerusalem.