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Reading Nehemiah Chapter 1
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
Nehemiah's Prayer
4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was cupbearer to the king.
NEHEMIAH THE MAN OF PRAYER
Nehemiah is such an interesting character; he was a jew in exile and he had reached one of the highest positions in the court of Persia, he was a trusted advisor and confidant of the king.
He probably knew that people had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, they had now returned, one being his own brother or a very close relative. Although he was a high-ranking court official, he was intimately interested in what was going on in Jerusalem.
Let us learn some things from the prayer of Nehemiah:
His prayer was passionate
Look how it starts, as soon as he heard, he sat down and wept. He was an emotional guy; he was a passionate guy. What are you passionate about? We have a generation of believers, who are passionate about anything other than the things of God. They are passionate about their sports team, their jobs, their cars or some other idol; they have. If you heard like Nehemiah, the news that he heard, what would be your reaction? In today's church, it would be seen as emotional over reaction, what would make you weep?
Does the news that millions are going to hell every day make you weep?
Does the news that your country and community is in moral decline make you weep?
Does the news that your church and indeed yourself have lost its first love, make you weep?
The walls are broken down around your family, church, community and country, does that make you weep?
He gave God his proper place. Verse 5
What did he call God?
He gave proper recognition to God, when we approach God in prayer, he is not some distant deity, neither is he our buddy, he is what Nehemiah calls Him
“O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God
Before he petitioned god, he praised God Verse 5
Nehemiah praised God because God was and is a covenant keeping, loving, all powerful, faithful and awesome God. Next time you come before God, with your long list of requests, spend time praising Him for all that he is and all that he has done for you.
His prayer was persistent verse 6
Notice he prayed day and night, Jesus said in Luke 18:1 we had to pray and not lose heart and Paul in 1 Thess 5 said Pray without ceasing. Nehemiah prayed often and sought God on this matter, he told no one the situation, but God. Before he went to his pastor or friends, he went to his God.
He knew his place in God's plan verse 6
The prayer of your servant, Jesus said we are unprofitable servants at best. How often we come to God in pride, thinking we are something, when indeed we are nothing. He was the cupbearer to the king, but to God, he was and is a humble servant, just like you and me
He prayed for his people verse 6
His prayer was focused on the children of Israel, he could have prayed and I'm sure he was praying for Persia, but his focus was on his own people. May we all focus on all own people, whether we are British, Chinese, German or Nigerian.
His prayer was penitent and personal verses 6 and 7
Nehemiah realised what had caused this, sin. He did not hide from this. He realised that he was not excluded from blame. When I pray for the UK, I can say Lord look at the sin of that land, but I am guilty also, I have played a role in causing it to fall, even if I have said nothing and let sin just roll into the land, saying nothing against sin, is not an option.
He reminded God of the promise he had made with the people, not that God needed to be reminded verse 8-10
God's promises are sure and steadfast, if God said then it will come to pass. God had said that if the children of Israel followed him, then blessing would happen, if they didn't, then failure would happen.
He praised God for his great power verse 10
It was God who redeemed the people and it would be God, who would now help them. The Children of Israel had gone after other God's, but there only hope is and always will be in God. We need to remember that only God is able to do anything to help us, like the Baals on Mt Carmel, all other God's are dead . Our God is alive and all powerful.
He prayed for God's protection verse 11
Nehemiah was a trusted advisor to the king, but his trust was in God and him alone. He prayed for favour with this man, he knew who was in control.
God answered Nehemiah's prayer, because he came humbly to God, he came with a broken and contrite spirit. Nothing in his prayer was in pride, he came as a penitent sinner, he came with a reverence to God. God requires us to come to him acknowledging who he is, the one all-powerful God who is awesome in majesty and glory.
So often, I come to God and just have a shopping list of requests, but Nehemiah, we need to spend time worshipping God and then we can tell God all our needs.
Let us come in humble repentance to our Great and all-powerful God, who alone can answer our prayers. His ear is always attentive to our prayers, if we came to God in the way Nehemiah did.
SOAK IN SCRIPTURE
sermonaudio.com/sermon/28161342543
sermonaudio.com/sermon/824241512406733
sermonaudio.com/sermon/7212128282
sermonaudio.com/sermon/35202043365977
SONG/TESTIMONY CENTRE
PRAYER FOCUS
https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/west-africa/
https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/nepal/
https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/peru/
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china
Reading Nehemiah Chapter 1
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
Nehemiah's Prayer
4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was cupbearer to the king.
NEHEMIAH THE MAN OF PRAYER
Nehemiah is such an interesting character; he was a jew in exile and he had reached one of the highest positions in the court of Persia, he was a trusted advisor and confidant of the king.
He probably knew that people had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, they had now returned, one being his own brother or a very close relative. Although he was a high-ranking court official, he was intimately interested in what was going on in Jerusalem.
Let us learn some things from the prayer of Nehemiah:
His prayer was passionate
Look how it starts, as soon as he heard, he sat down and wept. He was an emotional guy; he was a passionate guy. What are you passionate about? We have a generation of believers, who are passionate about anything other than the things of God. They are passionate about their sports team, their jobs, their cars or some other idol; they have. If you heard like Nehemiah, the news that he heard, what would be your reaction? In today's church, it would be seen as emotional over reaction, what would make you weep?
Does the news that millions are going to hell every day make you weep?
Does the news that your country and community is in moral decline make you weep?
Does the news that your church and indeed yourself have lost its first love, make you weep?
The walls are broken down around your family, church, community and country, does that make you weep?
He gave God his proper place. Verse 5
What did he call God?
He gave proper recognition to God, when we approach God in prayer, he is not some distant deity, neither is he our buddy, he is what Nehemiah calls Him
“O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God
Before he petitioned god, he praised God Verse 5
Nehemiah praised God because God was and is a covenant keeping, loving, all powerful, faithful and awesome God. Next time you come before God, with your long list of requests, spend time praising Him for all that he is and all that he has done for you.
His prayer was persistent verse 6
Notice he prayed day and night, Jesus said in Luke 18:1 we had to pray and not lose heart and Paul in 1 Thess 5 said Pray without ceasing. Nehemiah prayed often and sought God on this matter, he told no one the situation, but God. Before he went to his pastor or friends, he went to his God.
He knew his place in God's plan verse 6
The prayer of your servant, Jesus said we are unprofitable servants at best. How often we come to God in pride, thinking we are something, when indeed we are nothing. He was the cupbearer to the king, but to God, he was and is a humble servant, just like you and me
He prayed for his people verse 6
His prayer was focused on the children of Israel, he could have prayed and I'm sure he was praying for Persia, but his focus was on his own people. May we all focus on all own people, whether we are British, Chinese, German or Nigerian.
His prayer was penitent and personal verses 6 and 7
Nehemiah realised what had caused this, sin. He did not hide from this. He realised that he was not excluded from blame. When I pray for the UK, I can say Lord look at the sin of that land, but I am guilty also, I have played a role in causing it to fall, even if I have said nothing and let sin just roll into the land, saying nothing against sin, is not an option.
He reminded God of the promise he had made with the people, not that God needed to be reminded verse 8-10
God's promises are sure and steadfast, if God said then it will come to pass. God had said that if the children of Israel followed him, then blessing would happen, if they didn't, then failure would happen.
He praised God for his great power verse 10
It was God who redeemed the people and it would be God, who would now help them. The Children of Israel had gone after other God's, but there only hope is and always will be in God. We need to remember that only God is able to do anything to help us, like the Baals on Mt Carmel, all other God's are dead . Our God is alive and all powerful.
He prayed for God's protection verse 11
Nehemiah was a trusted advisor to the king, but his trust was in God and him alone. He prayed for favour with this man, he knew who was in control.
God answered Nehemiah's prayer, because he came humbly to God, he came with a broken and contrite spirit. Nothing in his prayer was in pride, he came as a penitent sinner, he came with a reverence to God. God requires us to come to him acknowledging who he is, the one all-powerful God who is awesome in majesty and glory.
So often, I come to God and just have a shopping list of requests, but Nehemiah, we need to spend time worshipping God and then we can tell God all our needs.
Let us come in humble repentance to our Great and all-powerful God, who alone can answer our prayers. His ear is always attentive to our prayers, if we came to God in the way Nehemiah did.
SOAK IN SCRIPTURE
sermonaudio.com/sermon/28161342543
sermonaudio.com/sermon/824241512406733
sermonaudio.com/sermon/7212128282
sermonaudio.com/sermon/35202043365977
SONG/TESTIMONY CENTRE
PRAYER FOCUS
https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/west-africa/
https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/nepal/
https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/peru/