This year is very much a rebuilding year for Revive. In light of this new season I have been reading through the book of Nehemiah and been really blessed. Throughout the next couple weeks check back to learn what God has been teaching us as we look toward this new and exciting year with Revive!
Reading through Nehemiah has greatly opened my eyes to just how 1) powerful prayer is, and 2) what God is capable of doing with a person who has unquestionable faith and is compelled to act in the face of their own concern.
The book of Nehemiah starts off with him speaking with his brother who has returned from a trip to Judah, namely Jerusalem (Neh. 1:2). Through this conversation with his brother I noticed just how concerned Nehemiah was about the people of Israel. What blew me away was the fact that he is far removed from what is going on. He is all the way in Persia. And not just any place in Persia, he is in the richest city, working for the most powerful man in the region, King Artaxeres! Why would he even care? Why should this be his concern? There are a number of answers but I believe the most important one was that he was Jew. These were his people.
Upon speaking with his brother, Nehemiah recounts Israel’s long history and how Israel has led to such destruction (Neh. 1:3). Remember Israel has been in exile, has been conquered, split and scattered all as a result of their disobedience towards God. The next verse is shocking to me as it says that Nehemiah, “sat down and wept and mourned for days, and [he] continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4).
What conviction. Nehemiah was mourned and grieved by the news he heard of how Jerusalem is still in ruins. The great walls of the city and temple that once stood in prominence now lay in ruins. The people of Israel much like their once magnificent city, Jerusalem, are scattered and live in ruin as slaves and second-class citizens under the rule of the Persian Empire.
How even more beautiful is it that among all of this that one man, with a heavy heart is led by God to pray. Oh, what God can do with a person with conviction who is led to pray fervently for his people and nation.
Nehemiah’s prayer is one of exaltation of who God is, confession, repentance, and petition. What I love most is that Nehemiah didn’t blame his ancestors for Israel’s present problems. He recognized that his sin had contributed to this all as well (Neh. 1:6). What is even more convicting to me is that Nehemiah in effect says,”Lord, I am wrong. I not only want to be apart of the answer, I confess that I’m part of the problem.” I many times don’t get this far. I recognize the problems, I cultivate a concern but many times it stops there. Nehemiah was a man who recognized a problem, had some concern, was moved to pray, confessed his sin and the sins of his people, and instead of asking for God to send somebody to fix all of this offered up himself (Neh. 1:11). WOW!
In all of this it just so happens that Nehemiah is the cupbearer to probably the most powerful man in the entire world at the time. Amazing how God works. What will Nehemiah do with this position of influence? Read chapter 2…
My big take away from Nehemiah 1 was:
I simply don’t pray enough and I know I don’t pray with as much conviction as Nehemiah did. This week I am seeking to pray with a spirit of confession and a spirit of petition. I wonder what God will do if we humble ourselves and pray this way?
- Quincy
The book of Nehemiah starts off with him speaking with his brother who has returned from a trip to Judah, namely Jerusalem (Neh. 1:2). Through this conversation with his brother I noticed just how concerned Nehemiah was about the people of Israel. What blew me away was the fact that he is far removed from what is going on. He is all the way in Persia. And not just any place in Persia, he is in the richest city, working for the most powerful man in the region, King Artaxeres! Why would he even care? Why should this be his concern? There are a number of answers but I believe the most important one was that he was Jew. These were his people.
Upon speaking with his brother, Nehemiah recounts Israel’s long history and how Israel has led to such destruction (Neh. 1:3). Remember Israel has been in exile, has been conquered, split and scattered all as a result of their disobedience towards God. The next verse is shocking to me as it says that Nehemiah, “sat down and wept and mourned for days, and [he] continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4).
What conviction. Nehemiah was mourned and grieved by the news he heard of how Jerusalem is still in ruins. The great walls of the city and temple that once stood in prominence now lay in ruins. The people of Israel much like their once magnificent city, Jerusalem, are scattered and live in ruin as slaves and second-class citizens under the rule of the Persian Empire.
How even more beautiful is it that among all of this that one man, with a heavy heart is led by God to pray. Oh, what God can do with a person with conviction who is led to pray fervently for his people and nation.
Nehemiah’s prayer is one of exaltation of who God is, confession, repentance, and petition. What I love most is that Nehemiah didn’t blame his ancestors for Israel’s present problems. He recognized that his sin had contributed to this all as well (Neh. 1:6). What is even more convicting to me is that Nehemiah in effect says,”Lord, I am wrong. I not only want to be apart of the answer, I confess that I’m part of the problem.” I many times don’t get this far. I recognize the problems, I cultivate a concern but many times it stops there. Nehemiah was a man who recognized a problem, had some concern, was moved to pray, confessed his sin and the sins of his people, and instead of asking for God to send somebody to fix all of this offered up himself (Neh. 1:11). WOW!
In all of this it just so happens that Nehemiah is the cupbearer to probably the most powerful man in the entire world at the time. Amazing how God works. What will Nehemiah do with this position of influence? Read chapter 2…
My big take away from Nehemiah 1 was:
I simply don’t pray enough and I know I don’t pray with as much conviction as Nehemiah did. This week I am seeking to pray with a spirit of confession and a spirit of petition. I wonder what God will do if we humble ourselves and pray this way?
- Quincy