Nehemiah 9:17 - Turn Around
Step 1: Pray. Select.
As I sit down to pray, I am reminded of the Lord's patience with humanity and our continued rebellion against His good guidance despite His warnings and messages delivered through miracles, signs, and wonders. He is constant in his ability to forgive and bless despite our human nature.
Truthfully, as I sit here, I wonder how I can tap into even a morsel of the power and strength of his ability to stand firm in who he is, without offense to who I am, which, let’s face it, am a mere mortal who makes all kinds of poor choices.
I wondered what scriptures best described the patience the Lord displayed towards humanity or the long-suffering love of Jesus, taking on the sin of the world when He knew no sin.
As I came across Nehemiah 9:17, I felt it beautifully described the topic, and the Holy Spirit began to burn within my heart. This is where I decided to begin my journey today, friends, so I moved to Step 2.
Step 2: Write. Read. Circle
After reading the scripture three times, the following words stood out amongst the others:
They refused to obey,
And they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And in their rebellion
They appointed a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.
Step 3: Re-Write
With a focus on the words I circled that stood out, here are the personalized sentence(s) that came alive in my heart.
Jennifer, they refused, they hardened their necks, but You, ready to pardon, abundant in kindness, did not forsake them.
If you are doing this alongside me today, add your name in front of your unique sentence so the Lord can speak directly to you.
Step 4: Visualize
As I close my eyes, I see a group of people sitting in a cross-legged style, with their arms crossed, in a row in a desert. I picture Jesus standing behind them, just waiting for them to turn around and see he is there, praying over all of them.
As I examine these people a little closer, I see scowls on their faces, signifying their dissatisfaction with everything they are looking at in front of them. Their environment consists of miles and miles of desert sand and no signs of life. They need to move or they will surely be scorched by the desert sun, starve from lack of food, and eventually suffer from insomnia if they don’t lie down to get some rest. However, they are stuck in the position they currently hold.
The remarkable aspect of this vision is that they are just one glance away - literally, a slight turn of their head in the other direction - and they would see Jesus standing with his arms wide open, surrounded by water and vegetation to meet every one of their needs. I become aware in the vision that the one thing Jesus cannot do, since it is not instructed by the Lord, is that he cannot call out to them. He is an arm’s length away, but without them being open to a new perspective or shifting their vantage point, he can do nothing. They will remain stuck.
How long will it take for them to realize that by a simple act of turning around and remaining open to the will of the Lord, they would be granted an abundance of blessings and joy beyond measure. It is right there just waiting for them. I can only imagine Jesus wanting to hit one of the people over the head and saying, “Hey! I am right here.” What the Lord is telling me is that the thought to turn towards Jesus has to organically occur deep inside them in order for them to commit long-term and receive the blessing of eternal life.
I have a question in my mind, so I proceed to Step 5.
Step 5: Ask. Seek
The requests/questions that came to mind are:
Holy Spirit, don’t they know they are going to die if they stay this way?
Step 6: Hear. Write. Receive
Here is the answer I received:
”Yes. They are making peace with a slow, painful death instead of examining the possibility of a new future. They are closed off, trying to protect themselves from the past. They cannot bear another hurt, rejection, disappointment, or betrayal. This is why when my son was hung on the cross, he was hung with arms wide open. He was crucified openly, waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled. He bore the pain, never concealing his wounds. He walked with the cross on his back publicly for all to see and then was hung out naked and disgraced, baring all for our salvation. Now that I am showing you this scripture, and you can rest assured I am merciful, what will you do? Will you turn to the Lord at all times to know he is waiting with arms wide open to solve your problem, fight your battle, and blot out your blemishes? If you do this thing, you will fall away from sin and into the arms of Jesus, where you will find rest. Protect your time and energy by entrusting me with your burdens. If you do not do this thing, you will surely be vulnerable to thinking you can cover your iniquities, leading you down a path of saying you are a failure and a mistake in life. You will be stuck with no way out. I have made a way where there is no way. So turn around. I am waiting. I have more than enough. I will give you rest, and you will drink from the living waters until we are in eternity together. When we will no longer be separated by flesh, but be united in a place of spirit. I am there now, and you can feel me. So, stop looking at the world and focus deeper on the everlasting life calling, guiding, and living within you. ”
Step 7: Pray. Confirm
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus.
Thank you, as always, for showing me a new perspective on the symbolic sacrifice of Jesus. I now look at the position he was hung on the cross as his way of freeing us from any shame or blemish we have acquired in this life, since he put it all out there for the world to see, even while being disgraced and crucified publicly.
Your love is so strong and everlasting. I will never fully understand your ways; however, I can work towards living a life and practicing the acknowledgment of Jesus' sacrifice, and know that you always have a way for me to follow to draw closer to you, Lord.
Help me control my flesh today in all encounters so I can think more like you and have abundant grace upon others, no matter what comes my way.
I pray for your strength and love to fill me up today and always, so I can be a better representation of you.
In Jesus' mighty name, I pray and seal this prayer with the blood of Jesus - Amen.
Step 8: Share. Testify
If you used the 8-Step Prayer Practice today, we would love to hear how God works in your life! You can comment below or share your miracle or testimony HERE.
Conclusion:
Friends, I have a newfound admiration for how Jesus was hung out to bear all during the crucifixion. Let’s open our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit and His abundance of grace and wealth of knowledge so we can interpret His word and receive new perspectives and revelations daily.
Don't get stuck in a desert waiting to die a slow death, atrophied in a position the Lord never intended for you to be in. Instead, turn towards him and run to his arms so he can grant you life and life more abundantly.
Even though we may not understand His ways, we can still strive to be better, demonstrating that we are all a work in progress, moving towards doing our best, honoring the sacrifice of Jesus.
God bless you. See you soon!
