Resilient Rebuilders 2

Nehemiah 1:5–11 NASB 2020

I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments: let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, please, the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to have My name dwell.’ They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. Please, Lord, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and please make Your servant successful today and grant him mercy before this man.” Now I was the cupbearer to the king.

Intro

Truth

Nehemiah’s Prayer

I. He praised God.

Nehemiah 1:5 NASB 2020

I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments:

Nehemiah’s prayer follows a similar format to the prayer the Lord taught His disciples.

Just as the Lord began with acknowledging the Father’s position (our Father), highness (in heaven), holiness (hallowed by thy name); Nehemiah’s prayer acknowledges God’s position (Lord God), highness (of heaven), and majesty (great and awesome God).

Proper prayer always begins with God and works from God to us.

When we start with God, it helps us to keep our eyes on Him.

When we start with God, it helps us to be kingdom first rather than self first.

II. He appealed to God’s character.

Nehemiah 1:5 NASB 2020

I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments:

If we want to see God move in our lives, it helps to know who God is so we can pray accordingly.

Nehemiah already knew that God was faithful to His people, even when it did not feel like it.

He knew God’s word, and knew that God has already promised to draw near to His people as soon as they were ready to draw near to Him.

III. He owned and repented of sin.

Nehemiah 1:6–7 NASB 2020

let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

He did not pray over the sins of others alone, but repented of His own sin and sought forgiveness.

IV. He appealed to God’s promise.

Nehemiah 1:8–10 NASB 2020

Remember, please, the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to have My name dwell.’ They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.

V. He made a clear and specific request.

Nehemiah 1:11 NASB 2020

Please, Lord, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and please make Your servant successful today and grant him mercy before this man.” Now I was the cupbearer to the king.

What do we want God to do for us today?

Perhaps one of the reasons why we see so few answered prayers is that we do not ask God to give us anything truly meaningful.

Sure, we ask Him to bless our food, or keep our kids safe, and to bless us generally… but what have we specifically prayed for which God might be able to clearly and demonstrably answer for us?

Nehemiah didn’t merely ask God to bless his food, he asked God to grant him favor in doing a very hard and even dangerous thing.

His request to the Lord was immediately testable.

Another reason why many Christians see few prayers answered is because they pray self-seeking prayers rather than Kingdom-seeking prayers.

Matthew 6:33 NASB 2020

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

It is a good thing for us to examine our prayers, asking whether our desires are in sync with God’s.

Do I want what God wants?

Do I actually expect Him to come through for me?

James 1:6–8 NASB 2020

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Remember, God has only promised to answer our prayers when they are in sync with His heart.

1 John 5:14–15 NASB 2020

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Gospel Application

Challenge