Neh. 9:3 The Book of the
Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them for about three hours. Then for three more hours they took turns
confessing their sins and worshipping the LORD their God.
When was the last time you were in a 6 hour church service? For most of us a service that lasts much more
than an hour really makes us antsy and anxious for it to end. How would you like to listen to 3 hours
devoted to the reading of God’s Word?
Many of us struggle to even read the Word, let alone spend 3 hours doing
it. What about listening for 3 hours as
the Word is being explained? Most of us
like our sermons short and sweet.
I like to read my Bible a lot.
I get up early in the morning to spend time with the Lord in the Word,
but not 3 hours worth. We can only imagine
what it must have been like for the Israelites on that day. Remember, this was a gathering of people from
all over the land. They were not divided
into their own little groups. They had
gathered as one people to worship the Lord under the direction of Ezra and
Nehemiah. They had no personal agenda
and they did not have to protect their own little groups.
Notice what happened. After
spending concentrated time in the Word, the people confessed their sins and
worshiped the Lord for another three hours.
Three hours of confession and worship!
Three hours of waiting before God for pure hearts and lifting their
hearts up in worship. Spending
uninterrupted time with the Lord was their agenda. Nothing else matter. They lingered in the presence of God until
their soul needs were met.
I wonder what would happen if we today would be more focused on
what God has to say, what our needs are as they are exposed by the Word, and
worship that is not dictated by the clock.
I wonder what would happen if we were to linger in the presence of God
until the Lord was done changing our hearts and minds. I wonder what we would have to do differently
in order for it to happen. I wonder if anyone
of us will take this devotional to heart today.
I wonder.
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