The Faithful God | Nehemiah 2

If you have your Bible’s, and I hope you do, please go ahead and grab them and head on over to Nehemiah 2.

This week in my Bible reading plan I read through the story of Abram & Sarai. Remember that God’s promised Abram he’d make his descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore, but there was a small problem, Abram had no kids. God promised that he’d give him one and after 10 years of not seeing that promised fulfilled, Abram & Sarai took things into their own hands.

That made me think about David, who was anointed king, yet it wasn’t till about 15 years later that he’d later assume throne. Then there’s Saul—The resurrected Christ appeared to him on the Damascus road and some scholars think he spent 17 years before he began his public ministry. Or even think of God’s own Son, Jesus, who spent 30 years walking and working on this earth before he began his public ministry.

Some of you this morning have found yourself in a place where you’re wondering if God’s there; you’re wondering if he’s heard you and your prayers; you’re wondering if he’s ever going to fulfill his promises. Some of you, like Abram & Sarai, have taken things into your own hands because you’ve grown tired of waiting or you’ve actually stopped believing.

This morning, Nehemiah comes to us with very practical help & an even greater hope. If you’ll remember, the city walls of Jerusalem lie in ruin; the people of God suffer derision—they’re being mocked, and more importantly, so is their God. Because of this they’ve grown apathetic and have stopped building the city of God. The news of the disaster travels back to Nehemiah, who’s a thousand miles away serving wine to the king.

But despite the people’s failure, God remains faithful. He burdens His servant—Nehemiah—when he hears the news and he begins to work in Nehemiah a desire to see God’s mission accomplished. There’s a number of problems, however, for Nehemiah and what we’re going to see today is how God’s faithfulness is seen from the beginning of Nehemiah’s story, all the way to the end.

Main Point: The Lord is faithful from beginning to end.

No, we won’t finish the book, we might not finish the chapter, but what the story of Abram, of David, of Nehemiah, of Saul, and even of our Lord reminds us is the the Lord is faithful from beginning to end. That’s the main thing I want to remind you of today as you sit in the midst of your waiting. The Lord is faithful, and because he’s faithful we don’t sit and waste away. The calling isn’t to be idle or to be passive. Because the Lord is faithful we act, and Nehemiah 2 shows us 4 practical ways in which we act. This morning, we’ll only look at two of them. So let’s read the whole chapter, and then we’ll respond to the reading of God’s Word with gratitude, we’ll pray, and then we’ll see how the faithful Lord might instruct His people to live out their calling.

Ne 2:1–8 ESV

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

This is God’s Word. Thanks be to God. Let’s pray.

In these first 8 verses there’s two ways in which Nehemiah 2 instructs us. Here’s the first:

Pray

The book of Nehemiah opens up back in 1:1 that is was the month of Chislev during the 20th year of King Artaxerxes. Chapter 1 ends with Nehemiah praying, “give success to your servant today,” and then chapter 2 begins with the month of Nisan. So Nehemiah hears the problem, weeps, prays and then man he’s ready to go to work.

Isn’t that the norm? At least for me it is. I hear of a problem and I’m like, let’s go. Let’s get to the bottom of this. Let’s solve it. It seems like that’s Nehemiah’s expectation. He’s ready today to go to work. He’s ready to march right into the king & make his case known, but the timeframe from chapter 1 to chapter 2 is approximately 4 months. So what happened? Did Nehemiah chicken out? Did he grow apathetic or even afraid of what all this might entail?

The text doesn’t tell us or imply as to why it was 4 months later that Nehemiah made his request known to the king, but it does tell us that he didn’t waste that four months. Waiting time doesn’t have to be wasted time. So how does Nehemiah make the best use of his waiting? He prays. He prays persistently.

Last week I mentioned that the book of Nehemiah is like snippets of his prayer journal. He was a man of persistent prayer. Look back to Neh. 1:4

Nehemiah 1:4 ESV

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.

Then again in verse 6

Nehemiah 1:6 ESV

…hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night…

There’s no reason to begin to think that his prayers stopped at the end of chapter 1. In fact, when asked by King Artaxerxes as to what Nehemiah wants, what is the very first thing Nehemiah does? End of Neh. 2:4

Nehemiah 2:4 ESV

“What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah was a man of persistent prayer, but he had to be, didn’t he? Look at the size of his problem and the situation he was in. He served under the very king who had previously stopped the building of the walls. In a way, the reason Nehemiah’s heart was crushed was in part because of the very guy he worked for. He needed out from underneath him, but he also needed his support to get resurrect the situation. And while here in chapter 2 we find out that Nehemiah is a pretty awesome leader; from the outset this situation was beyond his ability, his capacity, or his wisdom.

His answer, however, wasn’t to give up because it seemed impossible or to buck up and just make it happen; Nehemiah’s response was to persistently pray for God to act because he knew God was faithful.

In Luke 11 Jesus tells the parable of the guy who comes knocking on his buddies door at midnight asking him for some bread because he’s had some people show up and he wasn’t prepared. The guy in bed is like, no way man, I’m in bed, but the other guy keeps knocking and won’t let up. Finally, the guy in bed will get up and give him whatever he wants because of the persistent knocking of the guy at the door. Then Jesus says in Lk 11:13

Luke 11:13 ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Nehemiah persistently prayed so that he might go rebuild the city of God so that the presence of God might come, yet the very thing Nehemiah really prayed for is offered to you because it wasn’t the presence of God that came, but the person of God. And you don’t have to go build walls, or return to Jerusalem, or make a sacrifice as an atonement for your sins. Jesus did that for you so now you can fall on your knees and in persistent prayer and not only find the solution to our problems, but we’ll actually find the Lord himself in the midst of our problems.

Jesus isn’t just the hope of our persistent prayers, Nehemiah shows us he’s also the power of our persistent prayer. Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which something significant has arisen and you commit to pray persistently about it, but after a day or two you move on? Or maybe you even forget about it?

When the presence of the Lord who is faithful from beginning to end is the aim of your prayers, then prayer doesn’t just arise due to an incident or a want or a half-need, but rather it becomes a passion of our soul. Because it’s not just solutions to our problems that we’re seeking, but the Lord himself that we’re after. We’re able to pray persistently then not just because of a great problem, but because of an even greater Lord. He not only answers your prayers, keep you in prayer, but because of Jesus He meets you there too.

Nehemiah prayed persistently for four months, but he also prayed dependently. At the end of chapter one Nehemiah prayed for success “today.” Upon hearing the brokenness that existed in Jerusalem Nehemiah was ready to go to work, but that door didn’t open up. Here in chapter 2 we see things begin to shift, yet despite success Nehemiah doesn’t stop dependently praying. In fact, it forces him into deeper prayer because as circumstances begin to change, new emotions arise inside of him. Look at the end of verse 2

Nehemiah 2:2 ESV

And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

On a certain level it’s shocking, right? The moment he has finally been waiting on and praying for happens and what rises up in his heart? Fear.

Now Nehemiah had a pretty good reason to be afraid. The kings response to what he was about to tell him had unimaginable consequences. On the one hand, he could say no and if that happened then Nehemiah would’ve been seen as a traitor to the throne trying to usurp the kings authority. On the other hand, if the king said yes, then Nehemiah and the entire Israelite people’s future was about to change. This was a life altering moment and ultimately his faith was being put to the test. Right now he can be honest, and everything changes. Or he can shrink back in fear and say nothing is wrong.

Isn’t it interesting how fear drives so much of our lives? Kids, when you have done something wrong and you are afraid that you’re going to get in trouble what do you do? Maybe you try to cover it up? Or maybe you blame it on someone else? Parents, maybe you’re afraid of conflict so you avoid it, or your afraid of really being known, so you mask what’s really going on or isolate from others. I’m reading a book right now and the author talks about how when we’re afraid of dealing with our sin we just decide to manage it. When you see the sin in your children you seek behavior modification or just let them run rampant because you don’t know or aren’t willing to help them understand how the gospel transforms them. Or you continue to exist in a marriage that you’ve learned to manage over the years because to press into your problems is “too much work” or truly, just terrifying.

Or maybe you’re the opposite type of person that instead of deflecting or isolating or managing, when fear arises you double down. “When the going gets tough, the tough gets goin” is your motto. For you everything is a nail and your the hammer. You seek to solve every problem by your wisdom or your capacity or your ability, and then when things do start to work out or get better your chest swells with pride and you begin to look for the next nail or beat that one a little harder.

Look at how Nehemiah responds:

Nehemiah 2:3 ESV

I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

In a wise and diplomatic answer he appeals to what the king cares deeply about—graves of his father. Nehemiah knew Artaxerxes had a deep respect for ancestors, so he wisely pointed out the destruction that had occured in a way that told the truth and at the same time confronted the issue. Artaxerxes responds:

Nehemiah 2:4 ESV

Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?”

Here we are—the moment of truth. It all comes down to this. And with fear swelling in his heart, the eyes of the king looking at him, everything seemingly moving in the direction he had prayed for and what does Nehemiah do?

Nehemiah 2:4–5 ESV

So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king…

Nehemiah’s fear of man was quelled by his fear of the Lord. In a breath, he stepped out of the throne room of King Artaxerxes and into the throne room of God, and was reminded that this didn’t depend on him or his abilities, but on the Lord who was faithful from beginning to end.

Friends this morning I ask you, what are your fears causing you to depend on—your ability to manage, or deflect or blame-shift? Are they causing you to avoid, or even pushing you to accomplish? Or are they driving you to pray dependently on the Lord?

Notice next what prayerful dependence leads to: immediate obedience. “He said to the king.” Nehemiah makes the big ask: “send me back to go rebuild this city.” His response is reflective of his dependent faith because at the end of the day, he would either be with the Lord, or see the Lord work. What was the worst that could happen?

How does the king respond? “How long will you be gone?” The Lord worked—He softened this king’s heart, He answered Nehemiah’s prayers and He used this servant to continue his mission of redeeming a people for himself. Through Nehemiah’s persistent and dependent prayers God moved.

That leads me to one more quick observation about Nehemiah’s prayers—he prayed trustingly. Remember back in Neh. 1:8-9 when in prayer Nehemiah recalled the words of Moses? He knew God to be faithful to His word, and His Word promised that if His people returned to Him then He would bring them back together and make his name dwell among them. He knew that as He confessed His sin the Lord would to cover it. He knew that as he asked for success and mercy that the Lord would delight to give it. He knew that when he paused in between breaths to seek the Lord’s favor one last time that the Lord would respond. Nehemiah knew that he could ask the Lord for great things because he knew the faithfulness of the Lord.

E.M. Bounds in his book, The Necessity of Prayer, says,

The Necessity of Prayer III. Prayer and Trust

Trust is not a belief that God

A few months ago we went to the Redeemer Network Conference down in Midland. Worship was going on and one of the guys who is in the church planting residency was probably dozens rows in front of me with his wife. He hadn’t been feeling well…for a while. He had some chronic health issues and they had flared again. I felt inclined to pray for him, so I just stood there and started to pray for him and his family. It wasn’t 30 seconds later that Ricky Garzon came over and grabbed me and said, “We need to pray for Justin.” So he grabbed Justin and we went to the back of the room and Ricky began to pray for and over Justin in a way that I’ve only heard a few times before. It wasn’t fancy or big words; it was just a prayer in which he was entirely dependent on the Lord and trusting that God would act. It wasn’t some sort of name it claim it prayer. He wasn’t speaking something into existence. He simply prayed asking the Lord to work and trusting that he would…now. Justin left that conference, and, to my knowledge, since then his health issues haven’t returned.

You can pray, church, trusting that God will act—even now. It may not be in the way in which you are wanting; it may not be in the time in which you are wanting. But what Nehemiah shows us and reminds us is that He is faithful from beginning to end so you can pray trusting in Him, depending on him, and persisting after Him.

Praying, however, wasn’t the only spiritual act that Nehemiah did during this four month period. The second thing he did, and our second point is that he planned intentionally.

Plan Intentionally

Now there are probably a couple ladies in my life who are wanting me to take notes on this point and probably not preach on it. Planning may or may not be my strongest trait. If I hadn’t planned on it, this point would probably be over in about 30 seconds. But as I looked at this chapter one of the big things that jumps out is that Nehemiah saw planning as spiritual of a work as prayer.

Imagine the relief he must have felt having gotten that off his chest. He’s asked the King to send him back, and now it’s judgment time. The king gets ready to respond, but there’s this interesting little parenthesis in verse 6.

Nehemiah 2:6 ESV

And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.

I just imagine he’s leaning forward to respond while sipping his wine, and all the sudden just as he’s about to speak his queen just clears her throat and gives him that look. Men, you know that look—that one your mama or your wife gives you. The one that greatly influences you in what you’re about to do, or even if you’re going to do anything. He looks back at her and then back at Nehemiah and simply asks, how long will you be gone?

Now if this was me, I’d have been more stressed in that moment than I before I made the request. But the way verse 6 is written, Nehemiah already had an idea in his head.

He didn’t walk into this conversation thinking, well, I’ll just pray and then I’ll wing it. I’ll make it up as I go along. No. Nehemiah came prepared. To have approached him any other way would’ve been disrespectful. Planning shows respect. It honors the other person by looking at them and saying I value your time, your abilities, your families and you. (Ryan Doherty illustration)

His plan included a timeframe. This tells us more than just about the kind of worker he was, it also showed that he cared about serving the king. Planning is a form of service. By letting the king know what to expect about how long he’d be gone the king was enabled to lead more effectively and to have his own expectations managed as to how long he’d have to endure the changes.

I know of a couple that intentionally blocks out a little time on Friday to go over the calendar for the weekend and the next week. By doing this they stay on the same page, but more importantly, they’re able to serve one another and their children better by making the best use of their time. Yes, they do share a calendar on their phones, but by walking through it together they’re able to be more strategic and intentional.

Nehemiah’s planning showed respect, it served others, and it displayed good stewardship. Look at verses 7-8. In order for his plan to be accomplished he would need the kings help. A passport, supplies, money, and even a band of soldiers to escort him were all sent. King Artexerxes provided these things to Nehemiah which meant that Nehemiah was responsible to the king for them. To not have a plan would’ve been poor stewardship and flippancy towards things that didn’t belong to him to begin with.

When I was in college I was complaining to my pastor about not having enough time to do all the things. He made me get an excel spreadsheet and list every day of the week at the top and then on the left side I put the time I’d wake up to the time I’d go to bed. Once I had charted everything out I was blown away at how much free time I had. That was college. Life is a lot busier now and we’re all limited by 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. You can’t make more time, but you can steward your time a little more intentional by planning it out.

Nehemiah shows us that planning is spiritual work because it’s a work of honor, a work of service and a work of stewardship, but on top of all of that, Nehemiah 2 shows us that when we plan we give the Lord another opportunity to show his faithfulness, not just to others, but to ourselves.

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

We can and should and do make plans, but those plans don’t rule us. The Lord does. So when our plans get changed, or turned upside down, or don’t work out we don’t freak out. We aren’t crushed. We just trust that the Lord is faithfully still working.

And Psalms 37:23 tells us that

Psalm 37:23 ESV

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

When our hearts delight in the Lord and His ways, he begins to form our plans because he forms our hearts. The mission we live for isn’t one that brings us much glory but one that magnifies his. Nehemiah shows us planning doesn’t negate God’s faithfulness, it gives opportunity to see it come into fruition.

In fact, the very life of Nehemiah shows us that he wasn’t some random dude who was born at a random time serving in a random location. No, Nehemiah himself was part of a greater plan. One that began all the way back in Genesis. You see, the Lord himself is a planner. He had a plan from before Adam & Eve ate of the fruit of the tree and in doing so rejected God’s Word and ways. He had a plan to redeem a people for himself—one that would live in his presence and know his glory. But the only way that could be accomplished was for sin to be dealt with. So in the fullness of time, just as God had planned, he sent forth his son to live a perfect life. He was betrayed, and then crucified for the sins of the people that God was redeeming for himself—both past and present. Now, through faith in that sacrifice might you and I find what our hearts long for: a relationship with the Lord who is faithful from beginning to end.

It makes me wonder if even your presence here today was part of His divine plan. Not just so that you might learn to pray better or plan more often, but so that through repentance and faith you might find salvation. If that’s you, then I’d love to meet with you after the service and talk more about the Christ who came to save you.

But for others in here, your presence is as much part of God’s plan as the unsaved. The Lord in his faithfulness has brought you here today as he continues to shape you into the people for his presence and his purpose. And because he is faithful from the beginning to end you are now not just free to pray and to plan, but empowered to do so with a vision that serves others, stewards your time, is prayerfully persistent, dependent, and expectant.

Liberty, may we be a people who through the faithfulness of our Lord are marked by prayer and planning for His glory and our good. Let’s pray.