NEHEMIAH’S PRAYERS
In 586 b.c. Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. He captured the Jews and exiled them to Babylon. Nehemiah’s time is 141 years later in 445 b.c., when the Persians ruled the land. Nehemiah's contemporary, Ezra, had taken some of the exiles back to their homeland and rebuilt the temple and settled there. But the walls had been broken down and the gates had been burned. How would this problem be resolved? This is where Nehemiah comes in. Let's see how prayer factors into this.
1) Nehemiah's prayer.
Neh. 1:1-11, "The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king."
Much like what we saw Daniel do in last week's sermon, when Nehemiah learns of his people's situation and what that could potentially mean he was distressed. He wept over the circumstances invading his beloved people and the great city of Jerusalem. What was his response? He fasted and prayed.
In fasting we go without food or something else significant in our lives to show God how important something is to us and also to show how important God is to us as we urgently call upon him to act favorably toward our cause.
There are some similarities between how Nehemiah starts out his prayer with how Daniel started his prayer in Daniel 9. Both start out by acknowledging that God is great and awesome and that he keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands (5).
So both Nehemiah and Daniel understood the importance of love and obedience. In the scriptures you'll often see this combination. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me you will obey my commands." Love for God means obedience to God. So one of the ways we can determine the level of our love for God is how well we are doing at obeying his commands.
Notice in vs. 6 that Nehemiah states that he has been praying day and night on behalf of his people. Not that he prayed 24/7 but that he frequently, whether night or day, went into prayer mode regarding this dire situation. He wasn't obsessing about it but this shows how committed he was to this cause. Along with fasting his frequent prayers declared the seriousness by which he approached this situation.
This can be true for us too. Sometimes when there's a serious situation in our lives we can't seem to get our minds off it. Perhaps it's a timely or urgent matter so we find ourselves frequently in prayer about it. That doesn't mean we're worried about it but that we're very serious about God doing something in it.
Next we see another similarity between Nehemiah's and Daniel's prayer-confession. Nehemiah does the same thing Daniel did-acknowledge his and his people's sin (6b-7). Nehemiah humbly admits that it's his and Israel's fault since they went outside of the covenant commands and the end result was being taken captive to Babylon.
Then we see Nehemiah make an appeal to God based on his word in Deut. 30 about gathering his people back in Jerusalem (8-9). Nehemiah isn't reminding God of his word to demand that God fulfill his promise or try to put God at his mercy. It's not that Nehemiah thinks God needs to be reminded or that he's worried whether or not God will make good on his promise; he's just pleading with God to act at this time.
We can do this too. It's encouraging when we face situations to remember the promises of God. When we feel alone we recall that God said he would never leave or forsake us. When we've sinned for the thousandth time we remember his word that says that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When we get down on ourselves for our weaknesses we remember from Heb. 4:15 that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses.
So we call upon God not to hold him accountable to his word but to declare to him that we are standing on his word. We aren't demanding from God we are clinging to God. Nehemiah was clinging to the hope of God's word that he would bring his people back to Jerusalem. He would carry this with him as he went to make his appeal to the king (10-11).
As the cupbearer, one of the duties was to taste the king's wine to make sure it hadn't been tainted with. The cupbearer was a trusted person in the king's court and Nehemiah was no different in King Artaxerxes' eyes. But that doesn't mean approaching him with a special request was going to be easy.
2) Prayer paying off.
Neh. 2:1-9, "In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.” Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?”
It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?”
And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me."
An interesting development occurs in the beginning of chapter two. Nehemiah hears the news in the month of Kislev, which is November (1:1). He prays and fasts and asks God for his favor in the presence of the king. However, he doesn’t approach the king with his request until four months later in the month of Nisan, which is March (2:1).
What took so long? Was he having second thoughts; was he nervous or scared? We do see that Nehemiah was afraid in verse 2 but I don't think that's why he waited so long. Based on how grieved he was I'm sure his desire was to get to Jerusalem as fast as he could. This was all about God's timing. God knew when the time was right and Nehemiah acted accordingly.
It probably bothered him intensely to wait that long to approach the king with his petition. But he trusted in God's wisdom that he needed to wait for the right opportunity to approach the king. Maybe God needed to work on the king's heart to get him to a place where he would be willing to send Nehemiah.
Maybe there were issues going on in the kingdom at that time. Maybe the months of November through February were not the best months to do this project. Whatever the case, Nehemiah prayed and God told him when the time was right.
We may think every time we are moved to do something for God we need to act right away when sometimes it involves patience and knowing when to act. When we are in a mindset of prayer and have regular communication with God he makes things like his timing clear to us. This is prayer coupled with wisdom. Sometimes we pray and we are impatient. So when we don't get answers right away we move forward anyway-mostly to our detriment.
So the king notices that Nehemiah is sad and even though he's afraid because he doesn't know how the king will respond he still states his concern. He knew that this was the time God wanted him to act and he wasn't going to allow his fear to get in the way of making his desire known. This shows that just because we trust God it doesn't mean we won't have to contend with fear. We just need to move forward with what God wants us to do despite the fear.
Then we see Nehemiah doing something interesting. You could miss it if you're not looking for it. When the king asks Nehemiah what he wants look what he does in verse 4. "Then I prayed to the God of heaven and I answered the king." Nehemiah takes the time to pray before he responds to the king's question. I love that. I don't know if the pause was noticeable or not but Nehemiah was willing to take the chance-awkward silence or not. This is how focused Nehemiah was on prayer; it was his mindset.
I've done this type of thing before. I've been in conversations with people and I could see it going in an interesting or serious direction and I would interject a quick, "help me, Lord" type of prayer. It is us acknowledging our need and dependence on God. So before making a phone call or during the phone call-we pray. Before a meeting or during a meeting-we pray.
There's no situation we face where we can't take a couple of seconds out to pray; we will always need the Lord's help and guidance. Nehemiah knew he needed it before and during this major undertaking and it served him well. Not only was Nehemiah granted his request, but the king also sent along letters to some governors for help and supplies (6-9).
Nehemiah gave the credit to God, saying in vs. 8, “and because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.” He knew who deserved the credit for the door being opened. And it was this connection to God in prayer and his dependence on God for power and intervention that allowed him to persevere through the opposition.
God enabled him to overcome setbacks and disappointments along the way. If you read through the book you will find Nehemiah frequently turning to prayer (1:4; 2:4; 4:4, 9; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31). Whenever he faced a situation his first instance was to pray.
When we take on a project for the Lord we need to have a mindset of prayer. We never know what will happen along the way. We don't know what setbacks or opposition we'll have to face. We hope for the best, prepare for the worst and pray in all circumstances. 1st Thess. 5:17 says to pray continually which means to always be in a mindset of prayer. That's how Nehemiah was and that's how we need to be.
3) Not without incident.
Neh. 4:1-9, "When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”
Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."
Nehemiah had been dealing with opposition from his nemesis, Sanballat and his sidekick Tobiah but now it starts to intensify. Sanballat was Governor of Samaria. Tobiah was the Governor of the trans-Jordan region. So these guys had some clout and could make legitimate threats. But Nehemiah chose to answer the mockery of Sanballat and Tobiah with prayer, not words (4a).
Obviously Nehemiah's anger is coming out in this prayer, but I like the fact that he's taking it to the Lord. And really, he's asking God not to overlook their opposition to God's plans. "Don't let them get away with getting in the way". And Nehemiah didn’t allow the ridicule to stop his work (6). That enraged the opposition even more. So, like usual, Nehemiah goes to the Lord in prayer (9). And his answer was to post guards.
One might think, 'if Nehemiah trusted God why post guards?" Sometimes God might say, 'be still, don't do anything; I'll take care of it'. And then there are other times where God will tell us to do something to 'meet the threat'.
As a result of the church massacre in Texas, some Pastors are allowing guns in their churches. Others are taking precautions and posting guards and locking their doors after service starts. And we might be quick to accuse these people of giving into their fears this could be God instructing them to 'meet this threat'.
In vs. 10 it talks about how the opposition's threats were getting to the workers. But Nehemiah's response in vs. 14 was to not be afraid of them but to remember the Lord who is great and awesome and to fight for your families and your homes. Nehemiah had confidence in God and he instilled that confidence in the people who were helping him rebuild the wall.
But the opposition didn't give up. In chapter six it says that they were trying to frighten the workers and cause them to become weak but in vs. 9 Nehemiah prayed for strength. And strength they received and with it completion and victory!
6:15-16, "So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God."
Despite the constant opposition, the walls that lay in ruins for 141 years were rebuilt in less than two months. This was a result of earnest prayer. This was a result of patience and perseverance. This was courage and confidence in God and his ability to provide everything needed to complete the mission.
The persistence of the enemy needed to be fought with as much resistance from Nehemiah in order to be effective. The same holds true when we are carrying out a good work for God. Nehemiah knew that the road would not be a smooth one. Nevertheless, he followed his calling through his passion to honor his God and his people. Nehemiah knew how to ‘finish well’.
The movie ‘chariots of fire’ was the true story of Eric Liddell, a man who ran for Scotland, then went on to become a missionary. In 1923, Eric was running in a meet between England, Ireland and Scotland. In the 440-meter race, he got off to a bad start. When the gun sounded, he tangled feet with J.J. Gillies of England and tumbled to the track. He sat there dazed for a moment until the official screamed, “get up and run!”
He jumped off and headed for the pack which was now a full twenty yards ahead of him. In the quarter-mile that’s a huge distance to make up. He soon pulled into fourth place, behind the leader, J.J. Gillies. With forty yards to go, he took over third place, then second. Right at the finish line he passed Gillies and won the race.
It's going to take some 'P's in order for us to complete the tasks and finish the race that God sets before us. Patience, persistence, power, perseverance and of course... a lot of prayer.
I got up early one morning, and rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. “Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered. He answered, “You didn’t ask.” I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak; I wondered why God didn’t show me. He said, “But you didn’t seek.”
I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.” I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray. Nehemiah had a lot to accomplish and contend with. And his constant recourse was prayer. It worked for him in his situation and it will work for us in ours.
