Prayer and Planning

This week starts a new endeavor for us in this new year. From time-to-time we like to take a particular part of scripture and all read through it together as a congregation. Here in January we are providing a reading schedule for all of us to read through the book of Nehemiah together over the next three weeks. This comes to us as a resource suggestion from the Church Renewal Lab, in which we are participating. But there is a particular reason why we are choosing this resource to be in front of us right now at this particular time.

Nehemiah is popularly known in the Bible as the administrator who organized and oversaw the project of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. Nehemiah demonstrates an amazingly clear vision and purpose driving his decisions and actions. But there are two other components to Nehemiah that will be evident as we read through the book. Nehemiah’s vision and action is closely tied together with two very specific priorities: prayer and scripture. There is no moving forward with any visionary action in Nehemiah without significant and dedicated time in prayer. And there is no application of visionary reforms in Nehemiah without close attention to the Word of God. Prayer and scripture form the foundation of how it is Nehemiah is able to discern and know a vision for God’s people.

There is something we can learn from Nehemiah about finding a vision and purpose for our life of faith together as God’s people. Nehemiah demonstrates a faith that does not just believe in God, he lives out a purpose and vision as an extension of his faith. Let’s consider in the coming weeks the ways in which prayer and scripture provide a foundation for us to embrace a faith like that—a faith which boldly discerns and lives into a vision and purpose for what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in his church.

Today we begin at the start of Nehemiah, which immediately shows us the way in which Nehemiah relies on prayer to connect him with God.

Nehemiah 1:4–2:10 (NIV)

Nehemiah 1:4–2:10 NIV

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: “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, 6 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. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 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.’ 10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 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. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king. 1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. 7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

Let me give explanation of the timeframe. We are glancing over actions taking place in the first two chapters of Nehemiah here today. Chapter 1 and chapter two both begin with a timestamp. The calendar dates denoted by Nehemiah probably fly right over our heads because it is not a calendar system we use. I am highlighting it so that we do not get the idea that the action in Nehemiah rushes right from chapter 1 to chapter 2.

In particular verse 4 is significant.

Nehemiah 1:4 (NIV)

Nehemiah 1:4 NIV

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

How many days is Nehemiah talking about? We can figure that out because Nehemiah begins chapter 1 by identifying a date, and Nehemiah begins chapter 2 by identifying a date. The month of Kislev in chapter 1 and the month of Nisan in chapter 2 are four months apart. There is more. The three actions Nehemiah names in the last part of verse 4 all carry a nuance in the Hebrew language of ongoing activity. I am not sure why the NIV translation we are reading states these things as past tense—“I mourned and fasted and prayed.” Other English Bibles translate it more correctly—“I was continually mourning and I was continually fasting and I was continually praying.” It was ongoing activity.

four months between chapter 1 and 2

verse 4 — ongoing action

And it was four months. We cannot rush any further into the actions of Nehemiah without highlighting that the very first thing Nehemiah did before anything else was to spend four months in fasting and praying before the God of heaven. We should not plunge headfirst into chapter 2 as if somehow Nehemiah just grasped out of thin air that the very next thing he should do is go talk to the king about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. It was months of dedicated prayer which helped plant this vision and form it together as a plan. Nehemiah begins his book with a very explicit focus on the important part which prayer plays in his own life of faith as a follower of God.

Prayer is such an important piece of the action in Nehemiah’s story that he takes up all of chapter 1 to lay out exactly what he was praying for four months. We read through verses 5-11 as though it is a prayer that Nehemiah prayed just once and found himself with an immediate answer from God. No. verses 5-11 are a summary of this kinds of prayers and topics of prayer which Nehemiah brought before God day-after-day and week-after-week. He does not just want his readers to know that he prayed for four months; he wants his readers to know what he prayed for four months. Let’s take a look.

verses 5-6a — acknowledgement of God’s eternal covenant love Verses 6b-7 — personal and corporate confession

It begins in verses 5-6a with an acknowledgement of God’s eternal covenant love. Day after day and week after week Nehemiah connected himself in prayer with God’s covenant love and faithfulness. This is what leads Nehemiah to realize and own all the ways that he and the Israelite people have wandered from being faithful to God. Verses 6b-7 are confession. It is both personal and corporate confession. Nehemiah’s confession centers upon his own sins and those among his people who also commit those same sins that he himself is guilty of committing.

Nehemiah is not seeking to bend God towards him, rather Nehemiah is seeking to for the LORD to bend Nehemiah towards God

This is an important part of Nehemiah’s prayer. It is a prayer which lays before God all that Nehemiah sees in himself that needs redeeming and restoring. It is an important part of prayer in which Nehemiah is not seeking to bend God towards him, rather Nehemiah is seeking to for the LORD to bend Nehemiah towards God. It is continual prayer that does not focus on what Nehemiah wants from God, it is continual prayer that focuses on what God wants from Nehemiah.

prayer seeks transformation through confession

This demonstrates an important principle of prayer. The kind of prayer which builds faith and brings us closer to discerning the vision of God is a prayer which seeks transformation through confession. When I confess before God my utter dependence upon him and need for him, I open my heart for God to change me as the Holy Spirit sanctifies my life.

verses 8-10 — ways that God has revealed his faithfulness to his people in his Word

In verses 8-10 recount the ways that God has revealed his faithfulness to his people in his Word. This is prayer which points to what God says to his people through scripture. It is a prayer in which God is the one speaking through scripture and Nehemiah is the one listening. Prayer is not just me speaking to God; prayer is also listening for God to speak to me. And how does God speak to his people? Through scripture. Prayer is a connection to God in which we not only speak to God, but God also speaks to us.

prayer seeks to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit through scripture

This shows us another important principle of prayer in Nehemiah. The kind of prayer which builds faith and brings us closer to discerning the vision of God is a prayer which seeks to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit through scripture.

verse 11 — request

The only place a request comes up in this prayer is at the very end in verse 11. Sometimes we approach prayer as something in which our requests dominate the prayer. Nehemiah shows us that there is a proper time and place for intercessory prayer—prayers that bring our requests before God. Nehemiah does not even know what his request should be until he has spent months before God in confession and listening. We know that Nehemiah’s heart is broken for his people and for the city of his ancestors. But that does not mean he immediately knows a vision for him to approach the king and advocate for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. I can only imagine that this particular request which is laid upon the heart of Nehemiah only comes after months of confession and listening. I imagine it that way because in this summary of his four months-worth of prayer here in chapter 1, we only see the request showing up at the very end.

prayer aligns Nehemiah’s heart to God’s heart

What this prayer shows is that through prayer Nehemiah not only began to see God’s vision more clearly, he also began to see very specific actions that he could take in steps of faith. Nehemiah could do this because he dedicated himself to continual prayer which God used to align Nehemiah’s heart to God’s heart. Nehemiah knew what God’s will was for his people. and Nehemiah knew what action he could take next in stepping forward into that vision.

the king provides beyond what Nehemiah asks

the actions of chapter 2 only happen because of the prayers of chapter 1

Chapter 2 follows with all the action which follows as a direct result of the four months of prayer which precedes Nehemiah’s request before the king. Nehemiah is successful in gaining letters of authority from the king which will allow him to travel safely across the territories of the empire to the land of Judah. But even more than that, the king provides beyond what Nehemiah asks; he sends royal officers and cavalry along with Nehemiah for support. The actions of chapter 2 only happen because of the prayers of chapter 1. I think Nehemiah wants his readers to be very clear about understanding that.

And then in verse 10 of chapter 2 we are introduced to one more piece of the story. The opposition. Two prominent characters in the story of Nehemiah show up for the first time: Sanballat and Tobiah. Sanballat is the appointed governor of Samaria (the territory just north of Jerusalem). Tobiah is introduced as an Ammonite official—a territory that would have been just across the Jordan River from the land of Judah. These two characters see the arrival of Nehemiah as a threat to their positions of power and influence within the empire. Yet despite opposition to God’s vision for his people, Nehemiah remains dedicated to the vision because his prayer of faith forms a solid foundation.

Jesus gave his own life for you at the cross so that you could forever be welcomed before the throne of God

God invites each of us to connect with him in prayer. God does not turn anyone away who seeks him in faith. It is not Nehemiah’s position of influence which earns him a connection with God. In fact, we see that Nehemiah begins by confessing all the ways in which he has failed God and needs God’s forgiveness and restoration. Through Jesus, we are guaranteed forgiveness from God and redemption through Christ. Jesus gave his own life for you at the cross so that you could forever be welcomed before the throne of God. That welcome is available to you right now today through the Holy Spirit.

Prayer is the connection with God that the Holy Spirit uses to make that light of Christ shine more brightly

Prayer is the way in which Nehemiah made room in his life to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit. You and I are invited to that same life of faith by listening and responding to the Holy Spirit. Make room in your life for prayer. I heard someone explain it to me this way using the illustration of a dimmer control light switch. We are connected to God through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It is Jesus on the cross and victorious over the grave who flips the switch and turns on the light of life given to us. There is nothing that any of us can do to flip that switch ourselves or turn on that light of salvation ourselves. Only Jesus can do that. But that same light switch in my house has a slider which controls the brightness of the light bulb. Prayer is the connection with God that the Holy Spirit uses to make that light shine more brightly. Make room in your life for prayer. Because when you do that, God’s vision becomes so much brighter and so much clearer. And then you will see how your life of faith finds purpose and direction. You will see the next step of faith that God is placing in front of you.