Starting With Who God Is
Nehemiah 1:5, Exodus 34:6-7
One of our favorite rooms in our home is the living room. It features furniture from Maryanne’s childhood home, passed down to us from her mom and dad.
But the feature in that room that I love best isn’t a piece of furniture. It’s the mantle around the living room fireplace.
When we moved in, the mantle was, let’s say, underwhelming. But a CVC member, the late, great master carpenter John Poelking, rebuilt that mantle. He added to what was already there and turned it into what I consider a true work of art.
Before he could rebuild it, though, he had to understand who he was building it for. Sure, it was for me, partially. But it was really for Maryanne. John already knew her, of course, but he spent more time with her understanding her tastes, her preferences, and her vision. She was really the architect. John wanted to rebuild something worthy of my southern belle. And he did.
Before we can build or rebuild anything at CVC, we must understand the personality, character, and vision of our Architect, the One we are seeking to please. That, of course, is the Lord God Himself.
So, we have to start with who God is. And that leads us to Nehemiah 1:5.
After Nehemiah heard about the need for a rebuild, he spent time in prayer. And his prayer begins by praising the nature and character of God:
“O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments…”
None of these words in Nehemiah’s prayer are fillers. Look at each word that describes the great Architect of the rebuild.
LORD. When you see that word in all caps, it’s a reference to the self-existent great I AM who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. This is the God who, by miraculous means, saves His people from captivity, delivers them with power through the wilderness, and brings them into the Promised Land.
God of heaven. This is the God of blue skies and storm clouds. He is the God who sends cool breezes and frightening hurricanes. But He is more than nature’s God. He is also the commander of angel armies, messengers who do His bidding.
The great and awesome God. We use the word awesome entirely too much. We need to reserve it for the One who truly is. He’s more awesome than the best sunset you’ve ever seen, the best vista you’ve ever viewed, or the best meal you’ve ever eaten. No one compares to Him.
Keeps covenant. When Nehemiah prays this prayer, he’s thinking of the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He promised those patriarchs that His people would be blessed to become a blessing to the entire world. God is a covenant maker and a promise keeper. This reminder fueled Nehemiah’s faith that God Himself would see to it that the rebuild would be blessed.
Keeps steadfast love. The Hebrew word is hesed. In some versions, it’s translated “lovingkindness” or “steadfast love.” Why would we trust that God would use the likes of us to build or rebuild? It’s because, even though we don’t deserve His love, He keeps loving us and invites us to participate with Him in His work in the world.
Our work for God must always be motivated by a recognition of His worth. Nehemiah had, no doubt, read the famous words of Exodus 34:6-7:
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…”
Before he starts to work, Nehemiah reminds himself of the character of the Architect of the rebuild. He intends to do the work through Him and for Him.
As we begin our rebuild, we, too, must remember who the Architect is and make every effort to please Him. We want our rebuild to reflect His renown. The rebuild is actually an expression of our love and obedience to the One who is worthy.
Just as John Poelking wanted the rebuild of our fireplace mantle to please Maryanne, we want the work we do at CVC to please our great and awesome God.
We must start with who God is.
Question to Consider
How will remembering the worth of God impact your work for God?
Prayer Prompt
Ask the Lord to help you see His worth more clearly and fully, so that your work for Him is worthy of who He is.
