God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His nature is one of faithfulness, extending mercy to and fulfilling the prophetic promises of His Word to those who love, depend upon and have faith in Him. God preserves (to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live forever, be alive, be restored to life or health; to revive, refresh, be quickened from sickness, discouragement, faintness or death; to preserve alive, let live; to give life; to cause to grow), heals (to heal, make healthful; to heal of hurts of nations involving restored favor; to heal of individual or personal distresses; to be healed of national defects or hurts) and delivers (to snatch away, deliver [from enemies, troubles, death, sin and/or guilt], rescue, save, strip [off], plunder; to be torn out or away, be delivered; to recover; to be plucked out; to strip oneself of something). 2. Our Actions Speak Louder than Our Words. After Nehemiah and Ezra gathered the people in front of the Water Gate in Nehemiah chapter 8, Israel immediately responded by seeing themselves in the mirror of God's Word and in the light of His presence in worship. They came to realize that they were far from where they needed to be spiritually as individuals and as a nation, causing them to act and respond in the following ten ways: 1) They fasted, 2) They separated themselves, 3) They stood, 4) They confessed, 5) They listened, 6) They worshipped, 7) They cried, 8) They returned, 9) They made a "sure covenant" and 10) They wrote and sealed their covenant.