24. Nehemiah: Prayer & Action

Communion

Introduction

Jokes about coins

Why did the penny and the nickel get into a fight? The penny accused the nickel of always trying to change things.

How did the coach encourage the coins after they lost the game? He told them to keep their heads up.

Why did the football coach go to the bank? To get a quarterback.

I know, these are pretty bad jokes. There are a lot of coin jokes online, but some of them didn’t make cents.

Coins have two sides that are inseparable. That’s what we’re going to see in the book of Nehemiah today, two sides of the same coin: prayer and action. The four foundation stones of the Christian life:

Jesus, the Cornerstone

Prayer

Scripture

Fellowship

Video

I want to highlight the importance of both prayer and action in the story of Nehemiah. This sermon isn’t going to be guilt trip to get you to pray more or convince you why prayer is important. Almost everyone sees the value of prayer. Most people (even atheists) pray fairly often. And I’ve never met a Christian who said, “I don’t need to pray more.”

How can we have an effective practice of prayer? How can we pray in a way that makes a difference in life?

Big Idea

In order to pray in a way that makes a difference, we need to see the relationship between prayer and action: two sides of the coin. Look at the pattern in Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 1:1-4… The month of Kislev is our November/December. Nehemiah prayed and fasted and waited for God to move.

Nehemiah 1:1–4 NIV

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 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.

Nehemiah 2:1-8… The month of Nisan is our March/April. Nehemiah prayed and then answered the king.

Nehemiah 2:1–8 NIV

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.

Nehemiah 4:7-9… Nehemiah prayed and then posted a guard.

Nehemiah 4:7–9 NIV

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Nehemiah 6:9, 15… Nehemiah prayed for strength, kept working, and finished the wall in 52 days.

Nehemiah 6:9 NIV

9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

Nehemiah 6:15 NIV

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Implications

Don’t pray without acting (or, rather, being willing to act).

Explanation

Nehemiah’s prayers always led to action.

Prayer is action. But prayer should also lead to action when God moves. Don’t practice prayer procrastination—using prayer as an excuse not to act, especially when it’s something God has already told us to in his Word.

Illustration: God challenged me, You haven’t done what I asked you to do six months ago.

Application: When you pray, ask God “What do you want me to do?”

Don’t act without praying.

Explanation: Nehemiah always prayed first, acted second. Prayer first, action second.

Illustration: Look at Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11 (MSG)

Nehemiah 1:5–11 MSG

5 I said, “God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his covenant and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands: 6 Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I’m praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the People of Israel, confessing the sins of the People of Israel. And I’m including myself, I and my ancestors, among those who have sinned against you. 7 “We’ve treated you like dirt: We haven’t done what you told us, haven’t followed your commands, and haven’t respected the decisions you gave to Moses your servant. 8 All the same, remember the warning you posted to your servant Moses: ‘If you betray me, I’ll scatter you to the four winds, 9 but if you come back to me and do what I tell you, I’ll gather up all these scattered peoples from wherever they ended up and put them back in the place I chose to mark with my Name.’ 10 “Well, there they are—your servants, your people whom you so powerfully and impressively redeemed. 11 O Master, listen to me, listen to your servant’s prayer—and yes, to all your servants who delight in honoring you—and make me successful today so that I get what I want from the king.” I was cupbearer to the king.

Guided Practice

A - Adoration

C - Confession

T - Thanks-giving

S - Supplication