God School: Panning For God’s Gold Nuggets

It was late one afternoon as I walked Molly & Maggie, our dachshunds, at the RV campground. The man sitting at his campfire invited me over to share his fire. I learned he & his wife were retired and were full time RV’ers. He then went on to tell me he was a prospector for gold & silver. I was fascinated by his stories of panning for gold. Then he jumped up and went to his RV. He returned with the evidence that blew me away. He had gold dust, nuggets, and even small bars. All of it came from the time and painstaking process, known as panning. It’s getting down in the water and sifting through rocks searching for the treasure.

This morning in our Bible Study Fellowship Leaders meeting we panned for gold….God’s Gold Nuggets. We were where the gold was found…God’s Word. This morning, we found it!

Let’s set the stage. The Persian king, Artaxerxes, controlled the largest empire at the time. He was 900 miles from Nehemiah and the Israelites in Jerusalem. Artaxerxes was not only a pagan king that did not worship Jehovah God, but he was also the slave master over the Israelites. With all the affairs of state and the problems of managing the greatest empire on earth he found it necessary to issue an order for the Israelite choir. Did you get it? He issued an order for the Praise Team of God. We find “God’s Gold Nugget” buried in Nehemiah 11. “For there was a command from the Persian king regarding the singers, as to their daily task.” Nehemiah 11:23 (AMP)

What does this mean? “Nehemiah 11:23 means that the Persian king issued a specific decree establishing a daily, guaranteed stipend or “provision” for the Temple singers (Levites) to ensure their daily needs were met. This ensured the singers could focus entirely on their worship duties without distraction, supporting organized and regular worship.” Google. Only God can stir the heart of a pagan king to ensure the choir was paid. Only God! (Note: read, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, and Esther for more God’s Gold Nuggets.)

It would be one thing if Artaxerxes were a worshipper of Jehovah God, but he wasn’t. Remember, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37. Jesus taught a lot about God’s provision and fear of “what if?” In Luke  4:4-7  “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” “Every Soul Matters To God!”

So how do we pan for God’s Gold? First stop panning in the world’s streams where only gravel is found. Go to the streams of “Living Water” (John 7:38) where God’s Word is taught. Find a Bible teaching church and enroll in a “Bible” study that teaches from God’s Word, not someone’s opinion. It is there, “when  you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:4-5.

Are you tired and exhausted from working hard and only having gravel to show for it? Go for the Gold…God’s Gold. Jesus told us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Think about this. If God can use a pagan king, 900 miles away to take care of the choir in Jerusalem… what can God do with your anxiety & fear? “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9