Pastor Dennis Parks - "Another Chance

Devotional

Day 1: The Mule Skinner’s Charge to Farm Kids turned Missionaries

A white-haired pastor knelt with five farm boys after milking cows, gripping their shoulders with calloused hands. He told stories of narrow mountain trails with stubborn mules, then charged them to carry God’s message beyond their fields. His challenge wasn’t polished or professional—just a weathered man investing in unlikely recruits. Spiritual legacy often grows when the faithful choose to see potential in the rough edges of ordinary lives. [29:39]

“And Nehemiah said, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’” (Nehemiah 6:3, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs you to “line them up” with intentional encouragement this week? What simple act could help someone see their purpose in God’s story?

Day 2: Ezra’s Thirteen-Year Study Before God Said “Go Tell”

Dusty scrolls piled high as Ezra traced God’s faithfulness through crumbling letters and faded prophecies. For thirteen years, he documented stories of deliverance—Noah’s ark, the Exodus, Jeremiah’s seventy-year promise—before courage came to speak. Sometimes preparation looks like quiet persistence, gathering evidence of divine fingerprints until truth burns too hot to keep silent. [30:58]

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10, ESV)

Reflection: What “scrolls” has God placed in your hands—experiences, lessons, or answered prayers—that He’s waiting for you to share? Where have you seen His faithfulness written in your personal history?

Day 3: The Shout That Shook Jerusalem’s Ruins

When the temple foundation was laid, the roar of rejoicing split the air—old men wept, young men cheered, and enemies miles away heard the rumble. Their collective cry wasn’t about bricks, but the fierce joy of rebuilding what the world said was dead. True worship still shakes foundations when God’s people choose celebration over cynicism. [42:14]

“So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” (Nehemiah 4:6, ESV)

Reflection: What broken place in your community makes you want to weep? How could your hands help rebuild it, even one “brick” at a time?

Day 4: “I Can’t Come Down—I’m Doing a Great Work”

Nehemiah gripped a trowel, mortar crusting his sleeves as messengers tried to lure him to safer ground. His refusal wasn’t arrogance—it was the clarity of a man who’d traded a palace cupbearer’s robe for callouses. Spiritual focus means knowing when to say “no” to distractions to protect the “yes” God carved into your soul. [27:48]

“And I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’” (Nehemiah 6:3, ESV)

Reflection: What “trowel work” has God given you that requires protective focus? What distractions most threaten to pull you from your wall?

Day 5: When the Nations Saw the Wall and Knew It Was God

The completed wall stood not as a monument to human effort, but as a declaration. Neighbors who mocked the rubble now whispered, “This could only happen by their God.” Our faithful labor becomes divine evidence when we let the work point beyond ourselves—a testimony in stone and sweat. [49:05]

“And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:16, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to stop claiming the “wall” as your achievement? How can your daily work better declare, “Look what God did”?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah 29 opens with God’s sure promise that Babylon will not have the last word. God tells His people that after seventy years He will visit them, bring them home, and give them “a future and a hope.” God’s promises had already carried Noah through the flood and Israel out of Egypt after four hundred and thirty years. God’s faithfulness does not run out when His people are captive, discouraged, or far from home.

Ezra finds the God of history as he searches out the records, letters, manuscripts, and stories of how God has led His people. Ezra finds a God of love, a God who cares, and a God who knows every heart. Jeremiah 29 calls for more than a little bit of heart religion. God says that those who seek Him with all their heart will find Him.

Ezra becomes a mouthpiece for God because he prepares his heart “to seek the law of the Lord, to do it and to teach it.” Ezra does not merely gather information. Ezra lets the Word get hold of his own heart, then he brings that Word to people who have forgotten, lost their way, and need to hear again. God’s redeemed people are called to say so, to represent Him, and to tell what they know.

Ezra’s journey from Babylon shows that the good hand of God rests on people who step out in faith. Ezra gathers leading men, calls for Levites, and leads thousands toward Jerusalem so that the house of God can be built and worship restored. God puts a burden in the king’s heart, opens doors that human strength could not open, and raises up servants willing to leave comfort behind.

The contrast between the world and Jesus presses hard upon God’s last-day people. The world keeps coming, trying to dilute the Word, compromise faith, and set up other gods. Christ remains the way, the truth, and the life. God calls His people out of empty forms, false religion, and divided loyalties into wholehearted surrender.

Nehemiah shows what prayer and courage look like when God’s work lies in rubble. Nehemiah weeps, mourns, fasts, and prays before asking the king for what is needed. God gives letters, materials, protection, and favor. Nehemiah refuses to come down from the wall because he is doing a great work.

The wall rises in fifty-two days because the people have a mind to work, and even the enemies see that the work was done by God. God still calls His people to remember how He has led in the past, trust Him with all the heart, and shine as a light until Christ comes.

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Key Takeaways

1. God’s promises outlast every captivity. God’s word to the exiles proves that captivity has a limit set by heaven. Jeremiah 29 anchors hope not in easy circumstances, but in God’s own thoughts of peace toward His people. God’s past deliverances give present faith a solid place to stand. [35:20]
2. Seek God with the whole heart. Jeremiah 29 does not offer shallow religion or a passing interest in God. God promises to be found by those who seek Him with all their heart. Heart religion means that the mind, desires, choices, and loyalties are brought honestly before Him. [36:32]
3. Ezra sought, lived, then taught. Ezra prepared his heart to seek God’s law, do it, and teach it. The order matters because a life untouched by the Word cannot carry its full weight to others. God makes faithful witnesses out of people who first let Scripture search and shape them. [39:34]
4. The world cannot replace Jesus. The world keeps pressing for compromise, diluted faith, and competing gods. Christ remains the only way, the truth, and the life, and no false god can give what He gives. Wholehearted faith requires putting away whatever steals the heart’s trust from Him. [45:01]
5. God finishes work begun in faith. Nehemiah’s wall stood completed because the people had a mind to work and God gave the increase. Opposition did not stop the work because Nehemiah would not come down from the great work God had given him. God’s work becomes visible when His people pray, trust, and keep building.

## [48:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:12] - Encouragement for Church and School
[26:27] - Ezra and Nehemiah: God’s Heavyweights
[28:12] - A Farm Pastor’s Call to Mission
[30:37] - William Miller Answers God’s Call
[33:40] - Jeremiah 29 and God’s Sure Promises
[35:43] - Seeking God With All the Heart
[37:38] - Ezra the Mouthpiece for God
[39:51] - The Good Hand of God
[41:16] - Called Out of Babylon
[44:24] - Faith Against the World’s Compromise
[46:18] - Nehemiah Prays and Builds
[48:21] - The Wall Finished by God’s Power
[49:46] - Remember How God Has Led

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Jeremiah 29:10–14

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.” [33:48]

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” [35:23]

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” [36:37]

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” [36:44]

Ezra 7:10

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” [39:39]

Nehemiah 6:3

“And I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’” [48:17]

Nehemiah 4:6

“So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” [48:21]

Observation questions

In Jeremiah 29:10–14, what does God promise to do after the seventy years in Babylon, and what does He say about His thoughts toward His people? [35:20]
What three things did Ezra set his heart to do with the law of the Lord, and in what order are they listed?
What problem did Ezra discover among the people traveling from Babylon, and what did he do to address it? [39:15]
According to Nehemiah 4:6, what attitude did the people have as they rebuilt the wall, and what was the visible result of their work? [48:21]

Interpretation questions

God promised the exiles a future and a hope while they were still living in Babylon. How does this promise give hope without pretending that captivity, loss, or waiting is easy? [36:32]
Ezra first sought God’s law, then practiced it, and then taught it. Why is that order important for a person who wants to help others grow closer to God?
Ezra searched the history of God’s dealings with His people and found a God of love, care, and personal knowledge. How can remembering God’s past faithfulness strengthen faith during an uncertain present? [36:03]
Nehemiah refused to come down from the wall when opposition tried to distract him. What kinds of distractions can pull God’s people away from the work God has placed before them? [48:05]

Application questions

Is there an area of life that feels like a long season of waiting, discouragement, or captivity? How might God’s promise of a future and a hope shape prayer and choices in that situation? [35:23]
God promises that those who seek Him with all their heart will find Him. What might wholehearted seeking look like in a normal week—in prayer, Scripture, relationships, entertainment, work, or use of time? [36:54]
Ezra’s pattern was to seek the Word, live the Word, and teach the Word. Which part of that pattern needs the most attention right now: learning Scripture, obeying what is already known, or sharing truth with someone else?
God’s redeemed people are called to “say so.” Who is one person who may need to hear a simple word about God’s faithfulness, and what could be shared with them this week? [37:47]
The world often pressures believers to dilute faith and compromise convictions. What competing loyalty, habit, or “other god” most easily steals the heart’s trust from Jesus? [45:25]
Nehemiah began with weeping, fasting, and prayer before he began building. Is there a burden in the home, church, school, or community that needs to become a more focused matter of prayer before action is taken? [46:42]
The wall was completed because the people had a mind to work, and even their enemies recognized that God had done the work. What practical part of God’s work can this group faithfully build together, trusting God to provide the strength and results? [49:09]

Sermon Clips

55s

“The people had a mind to do God's will, to work for God. Notice, so the wall was finished on the twenty fifth day of Eliul in fifty two days. Less than two months, three miles of wall built. Doors, gates are hung in the city. And notice what happened. And it happened when all our enemies heard of it and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened, their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was done by our God. Lord, do a work in us that we can do a work for you.”

47s

“We have need for reformation in the church. The world has got a stranglehold on a lot of us. Take the world, but give me Jesus. Yeah. Take the world away. Put away the world. The world keeps coming at us. World tries to dilute everything that's in the word of god. Tries to dilute our faith. Tries to get us to compromise our faith. But put away the world.”

49s

“Ezra, he thought of this. He said, I need to find out all the history of how God has dealt with his people. And he began to gather information. He began to gather letters, manuscripts, anything that he could find that had been written about how God had dealt with his people. And in searching out all of this history, he found God. He found the God who is a God of love, a God who cares, a God who knows you this morning, and a God who says, I love you with an everlasting love. Wow.”

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