Nehemiah The Thanksgiver

So I . . . appointed two large thanksgiving choirs.

Nehemiah 12:31

Nehemiah is the Bible’s great wall builder. His Old Testament book tells of the masterful way in which he prayerfully led his people to repair Jerusalem’s broken-down defenses despite danger, discouragement, and insufficiency. At the dedication of the rebuilt walls, Nehemiah appointed two great thanksgiving choirs, made up of Levites having both musical skills and grateful souls (Nehemiah 12:8, 31). They were appointed to “praise and give thanks, group alternating with group” (v. 24). They were armed with strong voices, and with “cymbals and stringed instruments and harps . . . [and] trumpets” (vv. 27, 35).

Positioned on opposite walls, these thanksgiving choirs burst into praise and thanksgiving at the appointed moment, “for God had made them rejoice with great joy . . . so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off” (v. 43).

There’s a thanksgiving choir inside you. Look around at the beauty of God’s creation, the power of His promises, and the record of His care over your life. Lift up your heart, and let the strains of thanksgiving pour forth from the ramparts of your soul.