God never wastes words. But sometimes I overlook them.

I’ve read the Book of Nehemiah in the Bible many times. And, I’ve heard some excellent preachers expound upon it. Our friend, Mauricio, did that exact thing on Wednesday night. That is when I realized I’ve been missing some words. It’s in the scene where Nehemiah opens the Book of the Law and reads the word of God to the people for the first time in generations. Mauricio made some great points from that passage. But this one thing captured my attention: Where the event took place.

The people stood in front of the Water Gate. They stood for hours while Nehemiah read. Not a person was missing from all Jerusalem. Every man, woman, and child stood at the Water Gate and drank in the Word of God for the first time in their lives.

How rich.

How poetic.

How just like God to stage it this way.

And, it makes me eager to pay more attention in my life. Because, it matters where I stand.