Week 1
Day 1:
Each week of our Lenten series, Return to Me: a Pause for Lent, we will focus on one passage in which God invites us to be in relationship him. We begin our first day of reflection by reading this week’s passage, Nehemiah 1:8-10. After reading through the verses below, read it again, possibly even in more than one translation. Each day this week, we’ll build on this passage, but for now, simply read the passage and soak it in.
Nehemiah 1: 8-10, ESV
Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.
Day 2:
Re-read Nehemiah 1:8-10.
Set in the time of the Israel’s captivity, Nehemiah is believed to be written by Ezra using the personal diaries of Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the King. Written 13 years after Ezra, the first chapter opens with Nehemiah learning of the deteriorating state of Jerusalem. Far from being a lowly service position, being cupbearer to the King was a critically important role. It was in this highly trusted capacity—as the one who drank from the king’s cup first to ensure it was not poisoned—that Nehemiah was in the position to approach the king on behalf of his people. But before he approaches the king with his mission, Nehemiah first appeals to God, citing God’s promise that if Israel would repent, he would restore them. (See also Deut. 4:29, 30:1-6.)
In this season of Lent, we pause and recognize the weight of our sin, that which separates us from the Lord. But first, we take a stop to dive into God’s call to us to return. If God did not call for us to return to him—if he did not promise to restore us if we did—no amount of recognition of sin could have eternal significance. But he did, and it does.
Pause and remember that even in your sin, God calls you back to him.
Day 3:
There are great benefits to hand-copying scripture. It increases your focus on the words and aids in memorization. Today, pick a verse from Nehemiah 1:8-10 (or the whole passage) to copy down in your own hand or to memorize. If neither of those fit with your personality, draw a picture that comes to mind while reading it, or read the passage over multiple times, maybe in a different translation. The idea is to pause over the Word and let it sink in.
Day 4:
Today in our Pause, we invite you to pray over the passage. Re-read the passage and think through the scripture itself, what you may have learned from Day 2, or what has come to mind in your own personal study, then pray it out. If you need some help, we’ve provided a prayer below to get you started.
Father,
In this season of Lent, we recognize all that separates us from you. But in order for our repentance and return to you to mean anything, we must first have the call, the invitation, the promise—that if we return to you, you will restore us. You have given that call throughout your Word. Most importantly, you gave that promise through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, whose death made a way for us to join you eternally. Thank you that you invite us to return to you.
Amen
Day 5:
Re-read the passage.
Reflect and Apply:
What does it mean to you that God invites you to come back to him, even though you’ve sinned?
Spend a few minutes personalizing his invitation—he calls you, [insert name], to turn from your sin and return to him. There is no sin too great, time elapsed too long that he would not welcome you with open arms.
Remember a time that the fullness of God’s invitation has settled over you and the weight of sin was lifted.
Based on this week’s passage, take some time to think through an application that you can begin to carry out moving forward. Be specific!
Come back next Monday morning for the post on Week 2.