For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. Psalm 95:3-4
This week in our Bible study, we are continuing the story of Nehemiah that we are studying throughout this sermon series, “I Was Made for This.” Nehemiah was a prophet and cupbearer to the king of Persia when God placed a divine, God-sized burden on his heart: to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. So far in our story, Nehemiah recognized the burden God had given him and grieved over the state of Jerusalem, particularly its missing walls. He also boldly requested permission from the king to go to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls and for help as he did so. Our story today picks up where we left off in Nehemiah 2. After receiving the king of Persia's permission and aid, he set out for Jerusalem to address the divine burden God had placed on his heart.
What Nehemiah discovered in Nehemiah 2, upon arriving in Jerusalem, was that the situation there was more dire than he had realized. When he tried to get through one of the gates, he "couldn't even get through the rubble" (verse 14). The city was literally in ruins. It was at this moment that he must have realized how big a task he had in front of him. Rebuilding a city's walls and restoring its gates when surrounded by rubble was no small task. This was going to take perseverance, hard work, and determination from Nehemiah. It was also going to take reliance on God’s great power.
Nehemiah was not alone in this task to do something about his divine burdens. God was with him and infinitely bigger than the task that lay ahead of him. As big as the task before Nehemiah was, we know that God is infinitely bigger. God had given Nehemiah this burden, and through His great power, He would see it to fruition if Nehemiah would remain faithful.
Perhaps as he stood surveying the rubble, Nehemiah needed a reminder of God’s greatness. He needed that reminder that God was bigger than this task that lay ahead of him. Perhaps we need the reminder, too, when we feel like the task ahead of us is too great. In these moments, we must turn to Scripture to remember God’s great power. One passage of Scripture that speaks to God’s great power is Psalm 95. In this Psalm, the Psalmist wrote, “The Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in His hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to Him, for He made it. His hands formed the dry land, too” (verses 3-5). In other words, God’s power is unmatched. The earth, including the most enormous mountains, fit in the palm of his hands. Everything belongs to Him. His greatness and grandeur are unmatched. Nothing stands against His great power.
When it comes to your divine burdens, you may feel you have a big task ahead. Remember today that you serve a big God whose power stands far above anything else. If He has given you a burden, you can trust that He is bigger than any obstacles surrounding you as you take steps to do something about that burden.
As you read the verses listed below in the Going Deeper section, write down everything you learn about God’s greatness and power. When you are finished making your list, pray and declare the greatness of God’s power. Keep that list somewhere you will see it regularly and read it often, especially when you need the reminder that God is greater than any difficulties or challenges that arise as you take steps to address your divine burden.
Psalm 95:1-11
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. 5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today! 8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. 9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ 11 So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
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