NEHEMIAH MOMENT – (24MAY19) Nehemiah had asked his brother
about the city and the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem. The report was not
good. The people were in distress and the walls of the city were in ruins along
with its gates that had been burned. Upon receiving this news, Nehemiah was
deeply distressed and went into prayer. There are some elements of this prayer
that is important to take note of so that when we present our requests to God,
we can follow in a likewise manner. Here are the elements of the prayer in
Nehemiah 1:5-11:
Recognition
“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…”
Nehemiah first gave God recognition for who
He was. This was an act of humility in that he was not coming to Him out of a
heart of pride, but as a man seeking the One who was above him. When we go to
God, we are to humble ourselves before Him because He is our Creator and all
that He does for us is not out of obligation, but because He loves us as our
Heavenly Father.
Attention
“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.”
Nehemiah knew the promise of God’s ear
being inclined to those who served Him. Therefore, Nehemiah was humbly ensuring
that he had the Lord’s full attention in hearing his regular prayers for the
Lord’s servants. When we desire the Lord’s attention, we must take time to talk
to Him and listen for His voice. We can be confident that He hears the prayers
of the righteous in accordance to His word.
Confession
“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 understood the importance of confessing one’s sins
and that of a nation who has rebelled against God. In his prayer, he was
acknowledging the errors of him and the Israelites in their rebellion against
God and the forsaking of His ordinances. He was not making excuses for what
they had done, but acknowledged that they were the ones who had left God and
had turned their backs to Him in breaking His covenant. When we come before the
Lord, it is important that we confess and repent of our sins. We cannot hide
anything from God because He knows everything, but we do this as an act of humility.
Once we confess our sins, we are to turn away from them. Repentance is not authentic
unless we allow the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and help us to change.
This does not mean that we will never mess up, but in the event that we do,
Jesus is there to pick us up so that we can start all over again.
Reminder of
Promises
“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. 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.”
Nehemiah reminded God of His promises concerning them that if they were ever unfaithful, but would turn back to Him, He would hear from Heaven and heal their land. Nehemiah knew that God was a Keeper of His word and that it would never return to Him void. He reminded God of His promises concerning them as a people and gave a recap of how mighty He was and that He promised to hear the prayers of those who served Him. Whereas the word of man fails, God has promised that His word would never fail. It is not that God forgets because He is not absent minded, but when we “remind” Him of His promises, we are actually restating them as an act of faith in that we know that what He said, He must and will do.
Request
“Give your servant success today
by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
Nehemiah closed his prayer with asking for the Lord’s favor with
the king, so that he may do the work to repair Jerusalem’s walls. Nehemiah was confident
that the Lord had heard his prayer and that he could boldly ask for the Lord’s
help and would receive it. Jesus said that whatever we ask for in His name, it
shall be done. The Bible tells us to make all kinds of prayer requests to the
Lord and He will answer. This does not mean that we will always get what we
want, but He will supply all of our needs and sometimes He even grants us the
things that we want.
Something to ponder…
QUESTION OF
THE DAY – (24MAY19) When King Artaxerxes approved Nehemiah’s request to take a
leave of absence from his palace duties to begin rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls
and gates, he also asked to be provided with escorts for safe passage. Why did
he do this, which was opposite of Ezra’s approach with King Artaxerxes. One reason
is that Nehemiah was going on the trip alone. Therefore, it was dangerous to
travel alone during those days where robbers and murders could be on the road
looking for prey. Second, because he worked for the king, he was one of his officials,
which may have brought undesired attention to him if traveling alone. Third, because
the king was the one who offered to assist him and it was due to rebuilding the
city’s walls and not the temple itself, this was a work that the king
understood quite well and could relate to because the walls were the protection
for the city. Therefore, it was not a matter of proving what God could and
would do, as in the case of Ezra, but it was a mission to help the people who were
also still under the authority of the Persian rule. What can we learn from
this?
There are
times when it is appropriate to ask for things because it is in the will of
God. Nehemiah was granted favor by the Lord with the king in order to rebuild
Jerusalem’s walls. Then there are times when we are to allow God to work things
out alone as in Ezra’s case, so that it can be a witness to the unsaved as to
what God can do. Here we have two people – one asked for assistance and one did
not. One trusted in God’s safety with an escort and the other trusted in God
alone. Both were correct in their approach because they both relied on God to
show them what was best in their unique dealings with the same king. The lesson
that can be taken from this is that God is never surprised by our circumstances.
He has already worked through them to come to His desired end. What He does for
one, may not be the exact same way that He will work through another, but the
end results will in no doubt be for His glory. Something to ponder…
NEHEMIAH
MOMENT – (24MAY19) Nehemiah was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. The cupbearer served
as a high-ranking official and was one of exemplary character. He would
sometimes be the one to taste-test the king’s wine to ensure that there was no
poison in it just in case there was a plot to kill the king, and would guard
the king’s cup. The cupbearer was known to often be the king’s confidant and was
able to sometimes have influence in the royal palace. Therefore, the cupbearer
had to be one of honesty and loyalty with whom the king could trust. Because
God knows the end from the beginning, it could be safe to say that He allowed
for Nehemiah to be in the position of a cupbearer, so that he could have the
king’s ear to carry out God’s will for His people in rebuilding the city’s
walls and gates. This story is similar to the story of Joseph and how after two
years, the cupbearer had the king’s ear in being able to tell him about Joseph’s
interpretation of he and the baker’s dreams. These are examples of two people
who needed direct access to the king’s ear to fulfill the desires of the Lord
for His people.
God often
places us in positions where we can best accomplish His will. Sometimes that
may be relocating to a certain area. Other times, it may be changing careers.
Then there are times it may involve being at a certain house of worship. Wherever
God places you in life, there is a reason for you being there, and when that
time is up, He will move you if He sees fit. The thing to remember and ask yourself,
“Do you have the KING’S ear?” Do you have it? Do you talk to Him regarding the
matters of your life? Do you seek the King’s direction as to which path you are
to take? When you have the King’s ear, He can bless you just as the kings did
with Nehemiah and Joseph. Only you know if you have the King’s ear. If you do
not know, you can start off with a simple prayer, for at that moment, you will
have the King’s ear. Something to ponder…
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