It Only Takes A Spark Series

Nehemiah had been indifferent and ignorant far too long and now he had woke from his deep slumber. His commitment is outlined by his last line in verse 11: ¡§Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man."

Nehemiah was praying for others and yet he was really praying for himself. He did not pray for success of God¡¦s servants ¡V plural noun - but servant- singular. The singular noun is none other than himself. He wasn¡¦t praying for prophets, priests, and sages to appear, emerge, or develop. Nehemiah was eager to see God¡¦s work begin with him, and not without him. He did not pray for others but himself to meet the difficult job of approaching the king. Martin Luther the great Protestant reformer said, ¡§Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.¡¨

Prayer was not an intellectual exercise or an emotional outpouring for Nehemiah; it was practical workout. As someone once said, ¡§If it¡¦s got to be, it¡¦s up to me.¡¨ Do you know how long Nehemiah was involved in his short and long term endeavor? The short- term answer was 52 days (Neh 6:15), and the long term-commitment was can be found analyzing Nehemiah 1:1, the first recorded date when he began, and Nehemiah 13:6, the last recorded travel.

Conclusion: Nehemiah was a busy and important man. cupbearer to the king, he was a trusted servant and a close advisor to the king. At times, he saw no way of getting away, setting foot outside the palace. Confession is good only if it is healthy and biblical; confession need not be grandiose, extreme or overstated for it to be effective. Someone compared the silence of the church to sleeping beauty. The church with amnesia. Are you still in a deep sleep? Are you a sleeping partner? Are you aware that what the Lord is doing around the world, what he can do with you, and what people need the Lord, priority in their lives, what is going on around them, and God¡¦s direction for their lives. Do you know that one person can make a difference? Not all is lost The Lord is a stirring, sending, and saving Lord.

Victor Yap

http://epreaching.blogspot.com/

www.riversidecma.org

www.preachchrist.com (Chinese sermons only)