Nehemiah chapter 6 opens with the enemies trying repeatedly to get Nehemiah off track:

Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: “Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono.” (Nehemiah 6.2, MSG)

I love his response:

I knew they were scheming to hurt me so I sent messengers back with this: “I’m doing a great work; I can’t come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?” (Nehemiah 6.2, 3, MSG)

“I’m doing a great work.” Sometimes, the easiest way to say “No” to an activity is that it would take away from something greater. Once a church asked me to serve on the Christian Education committee. I replied, “While you all are meeting to talk about Christian Education, I will be doing Christian Education: teaching an adult Sunday School class and leading a discipleship group.”

I am doing a great work; I can’t come down.

And by staying on task…

The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. It had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work. (Nehemiah 6.15, 16, MSG)

A success! As I’ve said, there aren’t that many success stories in the Bible. Joshua led the conquest of Canaan, for example. That was a good story. They finally got the temple built as recorded in Ezra, and you could say that Esther (coming up shortly) was a success. And so was Nehemiah, but the work isn’t over. Stay tuned.

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul… (Proverbs 13.19, ESV)

After all that effort in Nehemiah chapter 4 to keep the wall-building project going, why would he pause in chapter 5?

A great protest was mounted by the people, including the wives, against their fellow Jews. Some said, “We have big families, and we need food just to survive.” Others said, “We’re having to mortgage our fields and vineyards and homes to get enough grain to keep from starving.” And others said, “We’re having to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. Look: We’re the same flesh and blood as our brothers here; our children are just as good as theirs. Yet here we are having to sell our children off as slaves—some of our daughters have already been sold—and we can’t do anything about it because our fields and vineyards are owned by somebody else.” (Nehemiah 5.1 – 5, MSG)

In short, the rich are oppressing the poor. And is that worth pausing the work for? Yes, it is…

I got really angry when I heard their protest and complaints. After thinking it over, I called the nobles and officials on the carpet. I said, “Each one of you is gouging his brother.” Then I called a big meeting to deal with them. (Nehemiah 5.6 – 8, MSG)

You can’t build the wall and have a big meeting at the same time.

There are some who might say, “Concern for the poor is a distraction from preaching the gospel.” Tony Campolo and Tim McConnell at First Presbyterian, Colorado Springs, would vehemently disagree. (Please review those two blogs if you’ve forgotten.) So would James:

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (James 2.14 – 17, MSG)

And the Apostle John agrees:

If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. (1 John 3.17, 18, MSG)

Back to Nehemiah. He chastised the rich and called for action:

“What you’re doing is wrong. Is there no fear of God left in you? Don’t you care what the nations around here, our enemies, think of you? “I and my brothers and the people working for me have also loaned them money. But this gouging them with interest has to stop. Give them back their foreclosed fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes right now. And forgive your claims on their money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.” They said, “We’ll give it all back. We won’t make any more demands on them. We’ll do everything you say.” (Nehemiah 5.9 – 12, MSG)

Note that the issue is “fear of God.” That’s what kept Job in line:

Have I ignored the needs of the poor, turned my back on the indigent, Taken care of my own needs and fed my own face while they languished? Wasn’t my home always open to them? Weren’t they always welcome at my table? Have I ever left a poor family shivering in the cold when they had no warm clothes? Didn’t the poor bless me when they saw me coming, knowing I’d brought coats from my closet? If I’ve ever used my strength and influence to take advantage of the unfortunate, Go ahead, break both my arms, cut off all my fingers! The fear of God has kept me from these things— how else could I ever face him? (Job 31.16 – 23, MSG, emphasis mine)

We’ll see tomorrow that Nehemiah finished the wall. He didn’t abandon his mission…but he took care of the poor first.

What to do when you’re leading a project and things go sideways? Nehemiah shows us in chapter 4. The work has started, everyone is participating with great enthusiasm, but…

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he exploded in anger, vilifying the Jews. In the company of his Samaritan cronies and military he let loose: “What are these miserable Jews doing? Do they think they can get everything back to normal overnight? Make building stones out of make-believe?” At his side, Tobiah the Ammonite jumped in and said, “That’s right! What do they think they’re building? Why, if a fox climbed that wall, it would fall to pieces under his weight.” (Nehemiah 4.1 – 3, MSG)

Ridicule. The first problem. The first solution? Prayer:

Nehemiah prayed, “Oh listen to us, dear God. We’re so despised: Boomerang their ridicule on their heads; have their enemies cart them off as war trophies to a land of no return; don’t forgive their iniquity, don’t wipe away their sin—they’ve insulted the builders!” We kept at it, repairing and rebuilding the wall. The whole wall was soon joined together and halfway to its intended height because the people had a heart for the work. (Nehemiah 4.4 – 6, MSG)

Love it: halfway done, people working whole-heartedly… until ridicule escalates to outright opposition:

When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs of the walls of Jerusalem were going so well—that the breaks in the wall were being fixed—they were absolutely furious. They put their heads together and decided to fight against Jerusalem and create as much trouble as they could. Nehemiah 4.7, 8, MSG)

Solution? Prayer AND a guard:

We countered with prayer to our God and set a round-the-clock guard against them. (Nehemiah 4.9, MSG)

Then…what always happens in a project, you hit the boring middle and discouragement sets in:

But soon word was going around in Judah, The builders are pooped, the rubbish piles up; We’re in over our heads, we can’t build this wall. (Nehemiah 4.10, MSG)

Pastor Frank Tillapaugh pointed out decades ago, that it’s not like rubbish trucks were coming into Jerusalem every day with new rubbish! There had to be less rubbish in chapter 4 than there was when they started in chapter 3. Internal discouragement coupled with external threats could have shut them down, but it didn’t.

Armed guards and a pep talk:

So I stationed armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall and assigned people by families with their swords, lances, and bows. After looking things over I stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: “Don’t be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4.13, 14, MSG)

Work AND watch.

From then on half of my young men worked while the other half stood guard with lances, shields, bows, and mail armor. Military officers served as backup for everyone in Judah who was at work rebuilding the wall. The common laborers held a tool in one hand and a spear in the other. Each of the builders had a sword strapped to his side as he worked. I kept the trumpeter at my side to sound the alert. (Nehemiah 4.16 – 18, MSG)

A command and control system.

Then I spoke to the nobles and officials and everyone else: “There’s a lot of work going on and we are spread out all along the wall, separated from each other. When you hear the trumpet call, join us there; our God will fight for us.” (Nehemiah 4.19, 20, MSG)

Working, as we used to say in the Air Force, “half-days – 12 hours,” and watching.

And so we kept working, from first light until the stars came out, half of us holding lances. (Nehemiah 4.21, MSG)

It’s not, “Are we going to finish this wall?” but “HOW are we going to finish this wall?” Nothing stopped them…until they paused for a good reason. Paused? Yes. Stay tuned.

In the meantime,

I also instructed the people, “Each person and his helper is to stay inside Jerusalem—guards by night and workmen by day.” We all slept in our clothes—I, my brothers, my workmen, and the guards backing me up. And each one kept his spear in his hand, even when getting water. (Nehemiah 4.22, 23, MSG)

Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire. (Matthew 26. 41, MSG)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9.6, ESV, emphasis mine)

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2.11 – 14, ESV, emphasis mine)

Peace…it comes up A LOT in scripture, but we can’t just wait for Jesus to bring peace in some magical way. He said:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5.9, ESV)

I was reminded of this truth at a beautiful concert last week by the Collingsworth Family, whom I had not seen before. Some friends highly recommended them, and now I do too! Two of the three daughters played a simple violin arrangement of “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” accompanied by their mother. This video, shot a few years ago when one of the daughters was pregnant, doesn’t quite capture the words that were projected as they played so I reproduce them here. Take the four minutes to listen and meditate on the words. It’s worth it.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be

With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.

With ev’ry step I take
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me

Songwriters: Jill Jackson / Sy Miller

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12.18, ESV)

We left Nehemiah challenging the people of Jerusalem to get the wall built. They agreed, and the work begins:

The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests were up and at it: They went to work on the Sheep Gate; they repaired it and hung its doors, continuing on as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. The men of Jericho worked alongside them; and next to them, Zaccur son of Imri. (Nehemiah 3.1, 2, MSG)

With our theme of secular/sacred, laity/clergy, note that the wall was built by untrained wall builders! Read Nehemiah 3 and look at the professions: not a builder among them, as far as we know: priests, goldsmiths, perfumers, government officials, Levites.

It’s amazing what can get done with just the resources you have. Jesus had a pretty motley crew if you look closely…and they changed the world.

 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. (Acts 4.13, NLT, emphasis mine)

Continuing with Nehemiah – a layman, remember? – we pick up some important lessons on prayer. If you do the calendar math from chapter 1 to chapter 2, you see that his season of prayer, beginning with confession, lasted about four months (from Kislev (Nehemiah 1.1) to Nisan (Nehemiah 2.1)). He takes wine in to the king (his job), and he’s sad, which got the king’s attention:

It was the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king. At the hour for serving wine I brought it in and gave it to the king. I had never been hangdog in his presence before, so he asked me, “Why the long face? You’re not sick are you? Or are you depressed?” That made me all the more agitated. (Nehemiah 2.1, 2, MSG)

Nehemiah tells the king he’s sad because Jerusalem is a mess.

The king then asked me, “So what do you want?”

Praying under my breath to the God-of-Heaven, I said, “If it please the king, and if the king thinks well of me, send me to Judah, to the city where my family is buried, so that I can rebuild it.” (Nehemiah 2.4, 5, MSG)

And here we have some simple lessons on prayer:

• Prayer is for everyone, not just priests
• Prayer isn’t long and formal
• Prayer is for everywhere, even a king’s court

He was praying for his life among other things! You weren’t allowed to be sad in the king’s presence.

He had planned so he knew how long he needed and what provisions he needed. Also, unlike Ezra, he accepted cavalry escort.

Then I said, “If it please the king, provide me with letters to the governors across the Euphrates that authorize my travel through to Judah; and also an order to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, to supply me with timber for the beams of The Temple fortress, the wall of the city, and the house where I’ll be living.”

The generous hand of my God was with me in this and the king gave them to me. When I met the governors across The River (the Euphrates) I showed them the king’s letters. The king even sent along a cavalry escort. (Nehemiah 2.7 – 9, MSG)

Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem, surveys the situation firsthand and calls them to action:

Then I gave them my report: “Face it: we’re in a bad way here. Jerusalem is a wreck; its gates are burned up. Come—let’s build the wall of Jerusalem and not live with this disgrace any longer.” I told them how God was supporting me and how the king was backing me up.

They said, “We’re with you. Let’s get started.” They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work. (Nehemiah 2.17, 18, MSG)

And we’re off!

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. (1 Timothy 2.8, ESV)

…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. (Ephesians 6.18, ESV)

As we look at Nehemiah and his successful wall-building project (there are not many success stories in the Bible!), it’s instructive to see where he starts. He hears the report which sets the stage for the story:

The memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. It was the month of Kislev in the twentieth year. At the time I was in the palace complex at Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, had just arrived from Judah with some fellow Jews. I asked them about the conditions among the Jews there who had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem. They told me, “The exile survivors who are left there in the province are in bad shape. Conditions are appalling. The wall of Jerusalem is still rubble; the city gates are still cinders.” (Nehemiah 1.1 – 3, MSG)

Nehemiah’s first response is prayer, but not just any prayer, a prayer of confession, just like Ezra:

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God-of-Heaven. I said, “GOD, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his covenant and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands: Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I’m praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the People of Israel, confessing the sins of the People of Israel. And I’m including myself, I and my ancestors, among those who have sinned against you. “We’ve treated you like dirt: We haven’t done what you told us, haven’t followed your commands, and haven’t respected the decisions you gave to Moses your servant. (Nehemiah 1.4 – 7, MSG)

It’s a “we” confession. Ezra (Ezra 9), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1), and Daniel (Daniel 9) all prayed “we” confessions. “WE have sinned,” not “THEY have sinned.”

If…my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health. (2 Chronicles 7.14, MSG)

And again, don’t miss this, of the three – Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel – only Ezra was a religious professional. Nehemiah and Daniel were both employees of a secular government, but they took their faith and walk with God seriously.

In short, none of us is off the hook if we’re not in “paid Christian employment.” We’re all in “full-time Christian service”! Here’s what Paul wrote to ordinary believers at the church at Philippi:

Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing. (Philippians 2.14 -1 6, MSG)

As we begin reading Nehemiah (for those in our Reading Program), Eugene Peterson’s Introduction, as it appears in The Message Bible, has a strong word.

I’ve written the book Everyone on the Wall, a title taken from a metaphorical approach to Nehemiah’s wall building. I saw all kinds of people building the wall as a picture of everyone involved in mission. It’s not a bad metaphor.

But Peterson takes the book for what it is: the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem (chapters 1 – 6) and Ezra challenging the people to live in accordance with God’s law (study, do, teach, remember?). It’s a story of “secular” work (wall building) and “sacred” work (preaching) cooperating. Here’s how Peterson tells it:

Separating life into distinct categories of “sacred” and “secular” damages—sometimes irreparably—any attempt to live a whole and satisfying life, a coherent life with meaning and purpose, a life lived to the glory of God. Nevertheless, the practice is widespread. But where did people come up with the habit of separating themselves and the world around them into these two camps? It surely wasn’t from the Bible. The Holy Scriptures, from beginning to end, strenuously resist such a separation.

The damage a sacred-secular split does to life is most obvious when applied to daily work. It is common for us to refer to the work of pastors, priests, and missionaries as “sacred,” and that of lawyers, farmers, and engineers as “secular.” It is also wrong. Work, by its very nature, is holy. The biblical story is dominated by people who have jobs in gardening, shepherding, the military, politics, carpentry, tent making, homemaking, fishing, and more.

Nehemiah is one of these. He started out as a government worker in the employ of a foreign king. Then he became—and this is the work he tells us of in these memoirs—a building contractor, called in to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. His coworker Ezra was a scholar and teacher working with the Scriptures. Nehemiah worked with stones and mortar. The stories of the two men are interwoven in a seamless fabric of vocational holiness. Neither job was more or less important or holy than the other. Nehemiah needed Ezra; Ezra needed Nehemiah. God’s people needed the work of both of them. We still do. – Eugene Peterson, Introduction to Nehemiah, The Message Bible

That’s really good. Forget the metaphor, Nehemiah came in as a “building contractor,” who had to build under wartime conditions. He was also a governor. All “secular” work. But work and how we do it is important, as I’ve written before.

Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail. By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. (Genesis 2.1, 2, MSG)

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3.17, ESV)

At least I think it was a mistake. See what you think…

I already observed in my post script to Ezra’s Faith that stories of Bible characters or the saints are descriptive, not proscriptive. We’re not called to take every saint’s experience as normative for all people for all time.

For example, in the early days of my organization, The Navigators, founder Dawson Trotman was drawn to the story of George Mueller’s not ever asking anyone for money. He only asked God. And it worked for George Mueller. Dawson would say (I’m told), “If the subject of money comes up, change the subject.” Today, Navigators joyfully share their vision of relational disciple-making and invite folks to partner with us just as Paul did:

And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4.15 – 19, ESV)

Back to Ezra. We observed in Ezra 9 that the returning exiles had once again inter-married with the surrounding nations. A bad thing. What to do? To Ezra, the solution was simple:

Ezra the priest stood up and spoke: “You’ve broken trust. You’ve married foreign wives. You’ve piled guilt on Israel. Now make your confession to GOD, the God of your ancestors, and do what he wants you to do: Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.” (Ezra 10.10, 11, MSG)

The chapter goes on to describe the process by which this would happen and lists the names of priests who had foreign wives, ending with:

All these had married foreign wives and some had also had children by them. (Ezra 10.44, MSG)

By the way, that’s the last verse in Ezra. The book ends there, and it’s always bothered me. Sure, they shouldn’t have married the foreign women, but they did, and now they’ve been married some time and had children. Do we now send these women and the children back to those pagan cultures? Or do we keep them with us, exposed to the true God and his grace? In short, is it OK to say that for all of his devotion and zeal, Ezra was wrong?

Dr Willie Peterson, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, first introduced me to that possibility. When I asked about the events of Ezra 10, Willie replied simply, “Ezra was wrong.” Certainly the men married to foreign women could not allow those women to drag them into worship of false gods. But surely, they could try to introduce the women to the true God and raise the children in the faith. Certainly that’s the New Testament standard:

For the rest of you who are in mixed marriages—Christian married to non-Christian—we have no explicit command from the Master. So this is what you must do. If you are a man with a wife who is not a believer but who still wants to live with you, hold on to her. If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God. On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you’ve got to let him or her go. You don’t have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God. (1 Corinthians 7.12 – 16, MSG)

If you missed the blog on Tony Campolo, please check it out. Tony saw our responsibility to reach out to the poor and love those who are different from us.

The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the two sons are introduced this way:

By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story… (Luke 15.1 – 3, MSG)

Ezra did not have the benefit of Jesus’ teaching on this subject so it’s easy (and maybe a bit unfair) for us to evaluate Ezra’s actions in hindsight. Ezra was a good man: he studied God’s word and put it into practice faithfully and consistently. But that doesn’t mean ALL his actions are positive examples for us.

Before we get back to Ezra and Nehemiah, here’s a story too pertinent to ignore: Sales of Bibles Are Booming, Fueled by First-Time Buyers and New Versions, by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Wall Street Journal, December 2, 2024.

The article opens:

Hallelujah! Bibles are a bright spot in books this year. 

Worries about the economy, conflicts abroad and uncertainty over the election pushed readers toward the publication in droves. Bible sales are up 22% in the U.S. through the end of October, compared with the same period last year, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. By contrast, total U.S. print book sales were up less than 1% in that period. 

“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” said Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”

Cely Vazquez, a 28-year-old artist and influencer who has appeared on the reality TV show “Love Island USA,” recently bought her first Bible—one from the “She Reads Truth” line—at Barnes & Noble. 

“I’ve had Bibles that my mom gave me, but I felt I needed my own to start my own journey, that it symbolized I was starting a walk with God,” she said. “I felt something was missing. It’s a combination of where we are in the world, general anxiety and the sense that meaning and comfort can be found in the Bible.”  

The article continues:

The demand for Bibles is rising despite evidence that the country is growing increasingly secularized. 

The Pew Research Center found that about 28% of adults in the U.S. now consider themselves religiously unaffiliated. Yet Bible sales rose to 14.2 million in 2023 from 9.7 million in 2019, and hit 13.7 million in the first 10 months of this year. Readers are also stocking up on related titles that provide guidance, insights and context—even sets of stickers to flag particularly meaningful passages. 

The article closes:

Amber Cimiotti, a 38-year-old mother of two in Henderson, Nev., attributes the increase in Bible sales in part to podcasters and Tiktokers like herself sharing easily digestible stories about Christianity.

She started to read the Bible this year after feeling unfulfilled by years of advice on self-care, staying healthy and pursuing a career. She said she also sought stability as “things just went off the rails a little too quickly” throughout society. “We’re kind of holding on to the edge of the ship, like, we’re not sure what’s happening here.”

Rev. Blaine Crawford, pastor of the Irvington Presbyterian Church in suburban Westchester, N.Y., said he is seeing renewed interest in study groups. The Bible is a “grand epic story of the great questions of life. What do we do with grief or anger, what are we here for, where is the world going? The Bible provides a counterpart in a conversation about what we’re doing at this time.”

What’s the takeaway? Here are some suggestions. What do you think?

• There is a spiritual hunger out there, and we should be alert for it in our conversations with friends and co-workers.
• We shouldn’t be reluctant to share what the Bible means to us.
• We should be prepared to help folks in their spiritual journeys. For example, The Navigators’ 5x5x5 New Testament Reading Plan and The Time with God Weekly Journal.
  • Here’s an example: Colorado Springs television news anchor Dianne Derby has written a marvelous book Two Hundred Tuesdays: What a Pearl Harbor Survivor Taught Me about Life, Love, and Faith about how 100-year-old Jim Downing invited her to do bible study. Like the Tik-Tok influencer, she, too, bought her first bible at Barnes and Noble. Jim’s invitation to Dianne is an example for us, and the book contains what he taught her. In July 2022, I wrote about their meeting.
• Finally, let’s pray that the Word will do its work.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2.1 – 4, ESV)

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8.3, ESV)