I had not given it a thought! Sure, I was contemplating the Scripture I would delve into and of course praying for the Lord to do a mighty work in my heart and life through it all; and beyond that there was an excitement that this month of my fast would include (Lord willing), my husband and me making our rounds to see all 12 of the grandchildren (4 sweet foster grands increased our numbers) which takes us as far as Florida beyond Orlando to get that Gram and Pop time stamped upon our hearts. But what I had not calculated was the actual day of the week my tenth September fast would rest.

A Tuesday! So, what makes a Tuesday stand out as being extra ordinary? Well, for starters I audit a class at Carolina College of Biblical Studies where the privilege is mine to hear the professor teach through the book of Acts. And then add to that, our chapel services are on Tuesdays. But then even more remarkably, God placed my husband as the speaker for today’s chapel service. Unbelievable, I had never put two and two together! So, with all the feasting on God’s Word in abundance and my heart and mind filled to overflowing, what I was giving up (through my fasting) had very little of my attention.

Let me quickly share a portion of what God gave me today.

In Acts 6, arriving on the scene where Stephen was chosen as one of the seven to help serve the widows, my NLT (version) describes him as “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” However, not surprisingly some of the Jewish men from the Synagogue begin debating Stephen, and the Bible says, “none of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.” So do you know what they did? They persuaded some men to lie about him, and he is arrested and brought before the high council where he answers the accusations by sharing the history of the Jewish nation from Abraham to Solomon and to the coming Messiah whom the Jewish leaders betrayed and murdered. Certainly, you are seeing the correlation here. After hearing Stephen’s words, the Jewish leaders become enraged and drag him out of the city where they stone him. Unable to debate him; they murder him. Sounds just like our world today, doesn’t it?!

Well, my dear husband in his chapel message had the task of sharing Nehemiah’s call to rebuild. God wants to use us to finish the work. Nehemiah is our example of inquiring, interceding, and getting involved! After Jerusalem has laid in ruins for some 12 years, Nehemiah accomplishes the task in 52 days.

“Out of unfinished business God develops a calling as we care enough to inquire, and intercede, and get involved!”