As we journey through the book of Nehemiah, there will be words, thoughts, passages and chapters that speak different things to each of us. This will be more than a history lesson, rather for us to be inspired and encouraged in God (movement), as a community of faith in finding our place, your place, in his mission for us.

What is God building he is asking us to participate in? What vision has or is the Holy Spirit birthing in you…?

As was alluded to last week, Nehemiah may appear to be the central character, God is! To borrow a line from both Ezra and Nehemiah, the hand of our God is evident in the story. Nehemiah is the instrument in God’s hand to firstly deliver on the project of rebuilding the wall, but bigger than that rebuilding a community and a nation, “a spiritual fortifying”…but the genesis of all that however, was Nehemiah’s obedience and commitment to the task.

Leadership is often a theme associated with Nehemiah, the term many people would use when considering this whole story. Whilst leadership is certainly a theme – and as a Governor he was obviously quite used to “leading” – I believe God called him not because he could lead, but because of his devotion and obedience to God: for me stronger themes in the story and the greater values to aspire to. Even though I’ve already stated God is the central character, what Nehemiah does, why and how he does it and most importantly WHO he his are the insights we want to capture.

I mention this because we don’t want to be looking just at the things accomplished (the surface things) aside from WHO Nehemiah was. Because what we see accomplished have to do with his character, integrity and posture before God, again the greater values to aspire to, and the reasons for me, WHY God would choose to work through someone like Nehemiah.

A few quick examples:

• Nehemiah could have taken credit for the way he handled the king, but said instead, “Because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests” (Neh. 2:8).
• In response to the opposition of Sanballat and Tobiah, formidable enemies in the rebuilding efforts, Nehemiah declared, “The God of heaven will give us success” (Neh. 2:20).
• When the wall was completed Nehemiah worshipped God, “This work had been done with the help of our God” (Neh. 6:16). Just a few examples of who Nehemiah was, the leader and visionary yes, but someone of character, integrity and posture before God.

As a generalisation Nehemiah can teach us something prophetically for ourselves, for the church, for what God has called us to. Not least what and where is the brokenness the Lord wants us responding to? The building and the growing of this people of God as a holy people, a people devoted to God and God alone…

Today we’re looking at two areas and qualities at work in WHO Nehemiah was that begin to address what I’ve just mentioned…his response to the needs of the people in Jerusalem and his prayer…that lays the foundation for what God would do...firstly… 

1. Nehemiah’s response to the plight

Referring back to the text, Hanani and a few other men come back from a trip to Judah and brought a report to Nehemiah….

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.”

The reference here is to events that largely occurred about 14o years earlier even though there were more recent attacks on Jerusalem and low-level attempts for re-building. In the space of that 140 years, Babylon fell to Persia under the reign of King Cyrus, he allows the Jews (42,360) to return to Jerusalem – in the time of Zerubbabel and Joshua (Ezra 1–6) the foundations of the temple laid and then completed 15 years later, “the people are in great trouble and disgrace”…but no wall this whole time…that’s the scene Hanani and his colleagues would have described to Nehemiah…

Nehemiah, a Jew, but in a position of great influence in Persia, left that position to lead an effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, the city of his God and his people, and to restore its influence, reconcile the disgrace…a task he succeeded in.

…why did he succeed? What had God put in his heart and spirit that made this such a priority for Nehemiah?

I read an article on Stuff June 1st, headline was: “Report reveals deep pockets of deprivation in the Waikato”. Those who are identified as deprived have insufficient access to food, education, health care and other resources…

According to this report, Hamilton has the SECOND most deprived zone for INCOME and for CRIME…and THIRD for HEALTH

We don’t need to look far to see brokenness and for opportunities…perhaps it is we’re praying “Lord show us what you want us to do”, and the Lord is saying… “I am!”

⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

2. Nehemiah’s prayer for the people

*(Picture of Kim…and Trump meeting) …we cannot look at this image and deny the hand of God at work here, can we? We have no idea what may transpire from this point forward, but I can only imagine, (behind the hurt…) the decades of prayer that built toward this moment…reminds us, God is at work…motivate to prayer

There is something Psalm-like about Nehemiah here in both his response and his prayer. I have attempted to imagine the anguish of Nehemiah (behind…pic) and what he was experiencing, what he felt, that would precipitate such a prayer for a city he had never even been in, people he had never met, but because they were God’s people – and knowing something of the redeeming and reconciling heart of God – Nehemiah made it his business, he, “wept, mourned, fasted, prayed”. Why did he?

Nehemiah prayed frequently about everything, as we see and will see. I want to suggest also that Nehemiah prayed for the simple reason that no one but God could accomplish what needed to be accomplished if the walls of the city were to rise again and the people set on track with God.

(Prophetic?) That Nehemiah had not been to this city, didn’t know these people, but had this conviction and vision of what God could do, means what for us who do, live in this community, city…?

There are profound lessons for us from this chapter, when we are able to capture the heart of Nehemiah and of God for people. Let’s look now at…

1. Attitude in Prayer

Nehemiah was not an arrogant man, but understood the principle of being the answer to his own prayers, when necessary. Remember Nehemiah’s vision didn’t began as a concern and a burden for the people. Here he humbles himself before God, with weeping, grieving and fasting, worshipping and petitioning God on behalf of the people, for the people. Nehemiah is not presumptuous, but he knows that God can do what he asks him to do.

Author Cyril J. Barber, wrote, “The self-sufficient do not pray; they merely talk to themselves. The self-satisfied will not pray; they have no knowledge of their need. The self-righteous cannot pray; they have no basis on which to approach God.”

What can be learned here, for what lay ahead for FBC, can easily be overlooked. We can lead, set goals, develop strategic plans etc, etc…but, these are (largely?) fruitless…

• without having an appreciation, without understanding of something of and validating the need the Lord wants us responding to
• Without understanding the heart of God for people and what that looks like
• Aside from total submission to God in all and for all we do

 

What we pray is just as important as the how…let’s look at the:

1. 1. Content of our prayer

Thankfully Nehemiah followed the ACTS acronym in his prayer, so that’s how we’ll look at it;

A = Adoration (v.5-6)

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ 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.

Can we see what Nehemiah wasn’t doing here? As desperate as the situation was there was no immediate jump to crying out to God with the calamity…maturity dictates how we come to God and what we say to God, maturity postpones our needs, in deference for worship. What we say is determined by how we view God. And when we come before God – and Nehemiah’s prayer is clear on this – we’re not sitting down with our buddy to chew the fat…we are at the feet of the God of heaven and earth, king of kings, great and awesome God, the God for whom all things are possible!

The reason we worship is to set our perspective, to get our heads, hearts and spirit in the right space, to pray…

We want God to hear? We must come to him with the reverence he deserves

…that he will or will not answer our prayers is not our primary concern, that we have honoured God and submitted ourselves to him is

C = Confession (v.6-7)

I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, 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.

Nehemiah’s confession prior was, Lord you keep your covenant of love with those who love you and keep your commandments…his confession in these verses, was they haven’t; they, including Nehemiah himself. The order here was important to Nehemiah because he did not want any obstacle to his vision and plans, not least the conversation that was ahead with the king. Some might look at this and think this was false-humility, you didn’t do anything wrong, it’s not your place to confess the sins of the people.

Here’s how I see it: we want to see God move, this is the sort of humility I believe honours God…

In his book “I Surrender”, Patrick Morley writes that the church’s integrity problem is in the misconception “that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behaviour.” He goes on to say, “It is revival without reformation, (and) without repentance.”

Scripture is replete with the principle of confession and being ‘clean’ before God.

1 John…⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

… “conditions and sin”

God wants us to come to clean (of sin) and empty-handed (without our conditions)…if we want God to hear and to-hear from God, this (the pack…etc) needs to be empty, left behind…? They are obstacles to pursuing the vision of God for us

T = Thanksgiving (v.8-10)

⁸ “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹ 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.’¹⁰ “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.

Nehemiah stands in the breach for the people just like Moses did at Sinai (Deut. 9:29). Thanksgiving here is in the form of Nehemiah’s review of those promises that included blessing and judgment, both conditional. Nehemiah is aware that the exile and the depressed condition that Israel now finds itself in is the fulfilment of God’s promise. The introduction to this prayer is not an attempt to butter God up, but rather, he is reminding the Lord that He is a God who keeps His promises.

As 2 Tim. 2:13….Nehemiah is thanking the Lord that He has always been faithful to them even when they were faithless

S = Supplication (v. 11)

¹¹ 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.”

His will be done prayers…

So we’ve seen how Nehemiah gave prayer priority. Prayer was his strategy. I cannot imagine Nehemiah bowling ahead and engaging in a project devoid of any foundation in and of prayer.

There have been a number of times over the years where I’ve gone looking for stuff in my toolbox, in my shed, and the item I was looking for ”wasn’t there” because I know where everything is right…’Karyn have you been using my sander, Braden did you remove my socket set…’ Karyn goes marching off and comes back with the item…’it was in there all along’ you had a boys look!

Sometimes we see only what we’re looking for. Begs the question, what are we attempting to see? Unless we’re praying, unless we’re praying in the Spirit, and aligned with the heart of God, we may miss what he wants us to see. That’s the key to supplication (asking earnestly and humbly).

Prayer helps us see him. Prayer keeps us looking and searching. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us prayer sensitizes us to needs and circumstances around us. When God “moves”, we recognise what he is doing and where he is working and what he wants of me/us.

Nehemiah prayed the king’s heart would be endeared, sympathetic, empathic, to the needs of the people. These are the prayers that God hears, because they’re about his heart.

We don’t need to look far to see brokenness and for opportunities…perhaps it is we’re praying “Lord show us what you want us to do”, and the Lord is saying… “I am and I have!”

Takeaways

Respond

Pray

Vision starts with God, Vision starts with prayer, Vision responds to people