Responding Well

Nehemiah‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬
“I said, LORD, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned. We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses. Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.” They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand. Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.
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Supporting scriptures: Nehemiah 2:4, 4:4,9, 5:19, 6:9,14, 13:14,22,29,31 

The game of disc golf is filled with opportunities to respond to different situations: missed puts, hitting the first available, lost discs. We often find ourselves responding to a negative situation with words, statements or attitudes we would not normally use in the “real world”. On the other side, we also respond to the great tee shot, the perfect approach or an elusive ACE. As believers, even our responses to disc golf can make or break our testimony for God! 

Our response to life is an important way to measure our focus… am I focusing on my circumstances or on my Heavenly Father? Nehemiah was a great example to not only the people he led to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem but to us as well. Throughout the narrative in the book of Nehemiah, we see his consistent response to troubles and blessings – prayer. The scripture verses listed above are Nehemiah’s prayers in response to decision making, dangerous situations, strength and blessing and discouragement. Whatever life threw at him, he responded with prayer. Any issue that needed to be addressed, Nehemiah prayed. 

Reflection 1: Just like in disc golf, our lives are filled with opportunities to respond to different situations. Issues at work, finances, health, driving, relationships… and the list goes on. What would happen if we determined to respond initially to an issue by taking a deep breath and talking with God? How would that change things? We are commanded to cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7) and are offered wisdom if we ask (James 1:5). Our testimony is at stake each time we are offered an opportunity to respond! 

Reflection 2: We also have the chance to respond to positive situations in the same way! Do we thank God for His blessing or direction? Do others hear us acknowledging God’s work in our lives? This is a great way to share Him with the world around us! 

Be like Nehemiah, respond with prayer! 

 Tim Tanner PDGA #294446