How is it going?

It’s a complicated question for me every time. It can go with how are you, something that calls for introspection. Yes I get that most expect a response of good, fine or well. Some friends really want to check in. I was sitting with pastor Jason from Gravity and I asked the question first and I quickly replied, “I know such a complicated question to ask, all the filtering and wondering of how much I want to reveal about what is happening, we could be crying, angry or laughing together in a matter of minutes just by what to focus on.”

In my life and probably in yours there is good you could share, in the church call those “blessings” even though all things are from God we really like to praise God for the happy stuff as we should.

Then there is the complicated stuff, stuff that worries us. stuff we should have written down in our time of laying down our burdens and given it to Jesus. For me all the tasks I am late on.

Finally, the bad stuff, the stuff that isn’t going to change, the sad stuff out of my control but still hurts, the hard stuff I will have to do something about, the scary and overwhelming.

All three blessings, complicated and bad are always happening. God is in all three.

This week we are in charge of praying for our city.

Saying Stockton doesn’t normally bring up thoughts of fun, excitement, peace and relaxation like maybe saying Santa Cruz, Tahoe, or Monterey. For some of us we think of positives like diversity, home.

But We also think of stress, commuting, and lack of community.

Then we get very honest we think of brokenness: crime, poverty, corruption, violence, homelessness, racism, hardship.

Now we have been called on to do something about this city.

We have been called on to do something the Mayor, the Chief of Police, any many others desire we do more than anything else. They ask us to pray.

Suprised? Could you possibly be surprised that a pastor in a church on a Sunday would call on you to pray? Nope. That’s like being surprised a dentist would tell you to floss and brush your teeth.

But a lot of us don’t pray regularly our city for a variety of reasons. Is the problems too much or sometimes we just don’t know how.

God shows us through the Bible that hearing really bad news about your city isn’t new and God’s response to prayer is powerful. Not just for His answers but also for what it does to us. Prayer isn’t what a lot of people think prayer is either. We aren’t going to Santa. We aren’t wishing upon a star or doing something after we can’t do anything else.

We are building a relationship with a living, all-powerful being who truly loves us. God truly cares about what happens in Stockton at the same time as caring about Mardan, Pakistan and everywhere else because there is no limit to his caring and no limit to his Love.

You and I are totally limited by our abilities. Like I can honestly say that I think some things are important or sad or interesting but I can’t do anything about it. I can’t fix it. I don’t know who to contact. I can’t care about everyone and everything. Even in Stockton, even in our city.

But God can, and he shows us what to do through a guy over 2,467 years ago and 4 months to be exact. Yeah, God chose to make this encounter that accurate.

Will you follow along as I read.

Nehemiah 1 CSB

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile. 3 They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.” 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. 5 I said, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, 6 let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses. 8 Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.” 10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand. 11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.

Boom! What a way to begin a Book of the Bible.

I know most of you are going huh?

But here is the epic thing, like this huge problem is given this guy. It makes him super sad. Like incredibly awfully sad. Then he takes it to God in prayer. It is a powerful prayer but a way to pray that we can do to! Then at the very end, right at the end of the prayer we learn the guy works for the king in an important place.

He works in a job where the King sees him all the time, He is a cupbearer meaning he makes sure the king doesn’t die by poisoning because he puts his own life on the line to make sure it is ok to drink it. If Nehemiah dies after drinking it, don’t drink it.

His job sounds both cool and terrifying at the same time. When he left in the morning he could tell his roommate If I come home today, I will have drunk some great drinks, and talked to the King, but it also might be my last day alive. Hope to see you tonight.

By the way the job description gets more awesome and at the same time well horrible. What if you could get a job where you can speak directly to the King, who is even better than a President because whatever the King says, that is what is going to happen. He has a whole army. So you have huge influence just by being close to the king. But you also, most likely, don’t get to have your testicles.

Job description: Huge influence in politics and the life of people, risk-taker, and be a eunuch.

This speculation was made by Dr. Fensham in his commentary on Nehemiah. A eunuch would be necessary in the ancient mind of Pagan people because Nehemiah came into contact with the King’s wives. So non-Jewish people would say anyone who did could not have their testicles so that all the queens would only have children of the King and no one else.

God never allowed for servants to be treated so horribly. I

Deuteronomy 23:1 CSB

1 “No man whose testicles have been crushed or whose penis has been cut off may enter the Lord’s assembly.

Besides being a Bible verse loved by boys between the ages of 10 and 13 who like to giggle in church because the pastor said Penis. It’s actually really important on how God views sex and the treatment of working people. God is saying don’t destroy, be embarrassed or practice some horrific thing to protect the wealthy from “everyday people.”

But for Nehemiah he lived in a non-Jewish land, who didn’t follow God’s law and they likely destroyed him to use his talents where they wanted. This meant that while he had a politically important job, religiously he could feel less than, not important to God. Even though God said through the prophet Isaiah

Isaiah 56:3–4 NLT

3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’ 4 For this is what the Lord says: I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me.

He worked in a place of influence but it might have cost him a lot. Yet He stayed faithful to God.

Now he was in the perfect position to do something about it.

Being you has cost you a lot, but you are in the perfect place for God to use you.

The first thing Nehemiah did was pray.

We know exactly the time of Nehemiah because of what we are told in the first few verses.

Nehemiah 1:1 CSB

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa,

We can compare this calendar to our calendar and get November/December 444 BC.

That’s kind of amazing but really more nerdy unless sometimes you think this stuff didn’t happen.

What was more important that you might have missed was the scary message that Nehemiah heard

Nehemiah 1:3 CSB

3 They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.”

In the ancient world, this was like not having any form of security at all. Imagine a city today where the police have no guns and no cars. Anybody who wanted to do anything could get away with it.

Walls in the ancient world kept out people who wanted to rob, kill and destroy. City gates and walls kept out wild animals. Without walls Jerusalem wasn’t a city but a little country town but it wasn’t a country town, it was a destroyed city with people around who hated it. The temple was rebuilt and would be getting filled with very expensive things used to worship God but without walls any enemy could invade and steal it all. Nehemiah was overcome with grief for his city and for his people who were weak and in danger.

Today you may be overwhelmed by the problems of our country, the problems of how your people are treated, the problems of your city. You have fears backed up by what you have been told. The things that make you feel out of control, Nehemiah was hit with the same feeling.

Nehemiah 1:4 CSB

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.

Nehemiah was super depressed. He was doing his version of playing the saddest songs on the radio but in his depression he did something about what was depressing him. He prayed

Prayer is doing something. It is entering into the throne room of God.

It is very hard for me sometimes to think of how amazing, great, powerful and completely beyond God is from me. Famous People, celebrities, politicians, it is true that they are just like us, normal people who have to use the bathroom and have needs etc. We don’t need to worship the President or even a King.

God isn’t a President or a King. He is not even a Marvel superhero or villain. God doesn’t need us. He will be worshipped with or without us.

God is so far beyond us. The first think that Nehemiah does in his prayer is

Recognize how much greater God is by saying who God is and what God has done.

Nehemiah 1:5–6 (CSB)

5 I said,

Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, 6 let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites.

Friends tell back to God what you know of God.

While prayer can be just you and a friend talking at times it is important for you to remember that you are talking to way more than just a buddy. I had a friend once, I’m kidding, when I talk to friends they give me love, support and encouragement sometimes even help but they have limits. God is unlimited. He is the creator, the sustainer. He is the one who made it right by dying for our sins. I need to remember that. You need to remember that. So

In some prayers spend the first part telling God who He is for your own sake.

Remembering He is a God of power who can make a difference and you are asking of the God who changes everything.

It is because of this power that Nehemiah remembers he has no right for God to hear him. For God to listen to what He has to say. This is God. God doesn’t need us. We are only important if God deems us important. It is only because God is so amazingly loving that He would listen.

If I can’t get out of my own way long enough to realize that God doesn’t need me, I have an incredible lack of humility. I suck. You aren’t worthy of God. God will still be God if we don’t exist. We will not be if God doesn’t exist.

It is amazing that God would listen to us.

Because Nehemiah knows who He is and reminded himself of who God is, his prayer goes right into confession.

Confession is being honest and admitting we have failed God.

Nehemiah 1:6–7 (CSB)

6 I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses.

This is wild. Nehemiah not only admits that he did wrong but he admits on behalf of all his ancestors. When he says father’s family he isn’t just talking about his dad, brother’s and sisters he is talking about his ancestry.com, his great-great grandpa’s etc..

I confess I often only think about confessing my own sin. It seems like enough but Nehemiah recognizes that he isn’t all that matters. There are other people in the world and he is a part of them and he is living out their impact on the world.

Would you be willing to confess for your ancestors? Would you be willing to confess for your fellow Stocktonians, for those whom you aren’t related to but came before in Stockton? Nehemiah doesn’t see this historical problem as them but as me.

Realizing who God is Nehemiah realizes how much He is not like God, even his own people are not like God. Then

Nehemiah reminds himself and God of what God has said and done.

Nehemiah 1:8–10 CSB

8 Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.” 10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand.

Nehemiah is using his own words to tell God what Nehemiah remembers from the book of Deuteronomy. God knows this already but by telling God, Nehemiah is remembering what God promised.

When we confess in our prayer we can remind God and ourselves

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Again God knows He forgives us, but it is honoring to God to tell Him of His power and it reminds us of His power that we are forgiven.

It reminds us that no matter the confession, no matter the request that is coming, God has spoken to it. God has a promise for us to remember. We work for God and God loves us, chooses to gives us something!

Nehemiah faces an overwhelming problem

Feels the depression

Prays telling God who He is

Prays confession by recognizing others sins as his own

Prays the promises of God, what God has said

After all that Nehemiah requests of God just to be listened to and reminds God that He worships God in another amazing act of humility.

Nehemiah 1:11 (CSB)

11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name.

Do I recognize how amazing it is that I can pray to God or do I think of God like electricity and a light switch. That when I flip a switch I can produce light, when I want. If I want to be in the darkness I can just not flip the switch. The switch doesn’t matter I’m the one in charge. I have never had a light switch say no to me. Unless something is broken it is going to work.

God is not a light switch. We have a relationship with God. His love for us is unlimited, eternal and without regard for our actions yet his promises are determined by what we do.

We have no right to claim constant blessings from God without the obedience to God.

It is in Nehemiah’s obedience that he finally makes his request of God

Nehemiah 1:11 (CSB)

11 Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.

This was it. The requests of Nehemiah was rather short, he limited the King to the knowledge that Nehemiah had, the King was just a man, but Nehemiah desired success and God could give it.

Today, we are surrounded by a city with issues. We have the power, it is not a light switch, but all the power rests in a loving God who desires to bless and not curse.

Back when electricity was just starting to be put into homes and apartments in America, way back about 100 years ago this pastor got an idea about the people of his church and wrote it down, I want to share it with you.

Moody’s Stories: Being a Second Volume of Anecdotes, Incidents and Illustrations “With or without Power”

“With or Without Power”

Doctor Gordon of Boston used to say that as you passed along Washington street of that city, or Broadway, New York, you might see stores with the card in the window, “To rent, with or without power,” and any one could rent the store, and by paying something extra could have power furnished from the engine in the rear. Doctor Gordon thought it would be a good thing to ask men and women when they joined the church if they wanted to be a member on the “with power” or the “without power” basis, and if the latter, to tell them there were no vacancies for that kind in the church, it already had too many members without power.

This week, will you be with power? Will you approach the God of all power with the problems of our city?

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And remember the way Nehemiah prayed

Tell God Who He is. Confess. Tell God what He said and did. Remind God of what you have done. Ask of God.

Take this time now, to pray where you are to the God who listens.