Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Nehemiah chapter 3, verses 1 and 2.

Say then Eliasheb, the high priest, rose up with his brothers the priest, and they built the sheep gate.

They consecrated it and set its doors.

They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hannanel,

and next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to them, Zuckur, the son of Emery, built.

And thus begins a chapter that lists all kinds of different people's names who work in different ways on rebuilding the walls around

Jerusalem and its gates and its doors.

And it's really fascinating when you read through it.

Now it can seem not so fascinating.

This is one of those chapters in the Bible.

You see all these different people's names listed in these places that

you don't even recognize and you can think, okay, what does that have to do with my life? Well,

one, it's really important not just to come to the Bible with the first question centering on

yourself, myself, but I come to the Bible saying, what does this passage teach me about God? And what does this

passage teach about who we are as people made in the image of God? And what does this passage

teach about his purpose? What does this passage teach about what God is doing in the world and

God's purpose in my life and how we need Jesus? How does this passage teach about what God is doing in the world and God's purpose in my life

and how we need Jesus?

How does this passage help me understand who Jesus is and what Jesus has done?

There's so many big questions to ask, not just what does this have to do with my life today,

but all that to come back to when you read through this and you see all the different

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