Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled Longing for God was written by Tim Gustafson.

When Connor and Sarah Smith moved five miles up the road, their cat, Smoors, expressed his displeasure by

running away. One day, Sarah saw a current photo of their old farmhouse on social media.

There was Smoors in the picture. Happily, the Smiths went to retrieve him. Smoors ran away again.

Guess where he went. This time, the family that had purchased their

house agreed to keep Smoors, too. The Smiths couldn't stop the inevitable. Smoors would always return

home. Nehemiah served in a prestigious position in the King's court in Susa, but his heart was elsewhere.

He had just heard news of the sad condition of the city where my ancestors are buried,

and so he prayed, remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses.

If you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the

farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a

dwelling for my name. Home is where the heart is, they say. In Nehemiah's case, longing for home

was more than being tied to the land. It was communion

with God that he most desired. Jerusalem was the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.

The dissatisfaction we sense deep down is actually a longing for God. We're yearning to be home with him.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Nehemiah chapter 1 verses 5 through 11. Then I said, Lord, the God of heaven,

the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments.

Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying

before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.

I confess the sins, we Israelites, including myself and my father's family, have committed

against you.

...