THE GOOD HAND OF GOD

Don't Miss This Study

Emily Freeman & David Butler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 July 2026

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Don’t Miss This, Dave Butler and Grace Freeman study Ezra and Nehemiah, following Israel's return from exile as they begin the long work of rebuilding Jerusalem, the temple, and their covenant relationship with God. These chapters remind us that every story of faith includes moments of starting again, and that the Lord is always ready to welcome His people home. As the people lay the temple's foundation, face opposition, and press forward despite discouragement, they discover that rebuilding rarely happens all at once. Faith grows one step at a time through small, consistent acts of devotion, even when progress feels slow. Again and again, scripture reminds us that the good hand of God is upon His people, strengthening them as they continue the work He has called them to do. This episode also highlights the role of prophets in times of rebuilding. Through the words of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah, we see that God's servants encourage, strengthen, and remind His people of who they truly are. Rather than being defined by past mistakes, the Lord invites us to accept His new decree over our lives and move forward with faith, courage, and joy. Above all, Ezra and Nehemiah testify that rebuilding is not a story of shame but of hope. The joy of the Lord becomes our strength as we remember His goodness, recognize His hand in our lives, and choose once again to walk with Him. No matter where we begin, His gracious hand is always reaching out, inviting us to build something beautiful with Him. Chapters: 00:00 INTRO 05:45 Ezra 1: Cyrus' decree to return 11:24 Experiencing renewed faith 21:22 Laying the temple's foundation 26:30 Reflecting on love and grief 32:16 Scripture study and personal growth 33:43 Addressing daily frustrations 42:24 Jews' Reputation with Persian King 49:09 Role of prophets in scripture 51:34 The good hand of God 58:25 Praising and Worshiping Together 01:01:25 The joy of spiritual commitments 01:06:58 Observing the Feast of Booths 01:12:19 Creating a personalized teaching blueprint Sign up for the Don’t Miss This newsletter at www.dontmissthisstudy.com #dontmissthis #comefollowme NEWSLETTER LINK: The Don’t Miss This video, the prayer poster, and tip-ins for kids, teens, couples and individuals can all be found in this week’s newsletter. Sign-up link in bio if you haven’t had a chance yet!! www.dontmissthisstudy.com Instagram: @dontmissthisstudy Podcast: Don’t Miss This Study Facebook: Don’t Miss This Study Follow Grace Instagram @thisweeksgrace Follow David Instagram: @mrdavebutler Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrdavebutler/ Subscribe to the Don't Miss This App https://www.dontmissthisstudy.com/app

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi there, welcome to Don't Miss This, a scripture study podcast with Dave Butler and Grace Freeman.
0:04.9	Each week, we point out things in the scriptures that we love and think you don't want to miss.
0:08.9	Thanks for listening.
0:10.2	Hi, everyone, I'm Dave Butler.
0:11.6	And I'm Grace Freeman Smith.
0:13.1	Okay.
0:14.6	Welcome to Don't Miss This.
0:16.6	Y'all, if you're wondering, my Grace is just barely giving her new married name in July the 27th.
0:23.3	Don't worry.
0:24.0	We have to be a little ahead.
0:25.1	We're a little ahead in recording.
0:26.9	Not much, but we are a little ahead because we're in June.
0:30.7	And Grace is moving to end of May.
0:33.0	It's practically June.
0:33.6	Okay.
0:34.5	It's moving to New York.
0:37.2	The concrete jungle. The concrete jungle. And so we have to,
0:41.7	we have to change our recording schedule a little bit. Don't worry. Grace's decision to move
0:46.9	to New York is not firing her. Don't worry. Don't worry. They're keeping me around. There's airplanes.
0:51.3	My commute got way longer. I'll be fine.
0:54.8	So we're a little ahead in recording, but we're still living the summer right now, which
1:00.0	is great.
	...

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