Nehemiah 2:1-8: "Sadness of the Heart"

Intro:

Making plans for something

Outline:

Personal Plea: “Sadness of the Heart” (vs. 1-3)

Prayerful Planning: “What are you requesting?” (v.s 4-6)

Practical Preparations: “What will it take?” (vs. 7-8)

Summary: Biblical decision making is personal, prayerful, and practical.

Prayer

Personal Plea: “Sadness of the Heart” (vs. 1-3)

Circumstances: Timing

In the month of Nisan (March-April)- 4 months after the news from Hanani

in the 20th year

Of King Artaxerxes- king after Xerxes from Esther

When wine was before him

I took up the wine

Gave it to the king

Cry of the Heart: Truth

Now I had not been sad in his presence- was this deliberate?

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

Because the king might think Nehemiah is dissatisfied with the king

This king had stopped the the rebuilding a few years earlier and now he is asking him to reverse his order.

He is risking his life

I said to the king

Let the king live forever!

Why should not my face be sad

When the city- does not mention “Jerusalem” possibly to not touch a sensitive “political nerve”

the place of my father’s graves

Lies in ruins

Its gates have been destroyed by fire?

Application:

What has been welling up in your soul over the last 4 months? What have you been praying for and opportunity to do?

Talk to your spouse about something

convictions about the pandemic

pondering direction to go with school this year

Decline in health…What is your personal plea before God today?

“Why are you sad seeing you are not sick” this phrase has the potential for great controversy today. Is it possible to be “sad” and not “sick”? The culture of Canada will answer this question very differently. Every form of saddness is meant to be avoided.

How many of us do the very same thing each day when we go to work or come to church? We seek to hide our true emotions because we may be afraid of having to discuss it or be questioned about it. Some of us are more comfortable talking to our doctors or complete strangers than we are to talk to believers in this church family. The reason, 1500 years later, is still the same, fear.

When was the last time you had a conversation about your person plea before God and someone else?

Prayerful Planning: “What are you Requesting?” (vs. 4-6)

The Request: human and divine

The King said to me

“What are you requesting?”

I prayed to the God of heaven- don’t forget, he had been praying and preparing for 4 months for this moment.

I said to the king

If it pleases the king

If your servand has found favor in your sight -gracious words, Prov. 16:21 “The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.”

That you send me to Judah

to the city of my father’s graves- no mention of Jerusalem

That I may rebuild it

The Response

The king said to me

The queen sitting beside him- private gathering?

How long will you be gone

when will you return

So it pleased the king to send me

When I had given him a time

Application

There is a lot we can learn from these few verses when it comes to requests here with our church family.

The requester-

prayerfully plan out what your personal plea is and come with specifics

talk to God about it before you talk to others about it.

Be wise and add sweetness of speech to your request, don’t come in with the mantality that it is your way or the highway. “It is not just what you say, but how you say it”.

Timing is important, Sunday morning before the service is probably not the best time to share about your new ministry idea, as good as it may be...

The receiver-

Ask Good questions

about the heart of the person

Clarify what they are requesting

How long will it take

When will you be ready

When decision are made they always have a divine component and a human component

Practical Preparation: “What Will it Take?” (vs. 7-8)

Human preparation: Letters

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- He knew his name, he did his research

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

for the wall of the city

for the house that I shall occupy

God’s Blessing

The King gtranted me what I asked- this fulfills a prophesy made by Daniel 95 years earlier (9:25) about the coming Messiah!

For the good hand of my God was upon me- not just because of the practical preparation, prayerful planning, or the personal plea, it was because the good hand of my God was upon me.

So, what happens when I go through all of these things and what I want doesn’t happen?

Application

Some of you might be saying, wow, that is great Pastor Jeremy but I am not planning on moving to another province anytime soon to engage in a mega building project?

God used saddness to spur on his servant to have a conversation about his personal plea. Saddness lead to a personal plea for change. Maybe you are experienceing saddness today, not so that you can hide it away but for the purpose of glorifying God.

What has been stiring in your heart and mind that you need to start prayerfully planning? Is it about a relationship, a job, a ministry here at the church house? What is the Holy Spirit prompting you to start praying about today?