NEHEMIAH'S PRAYER

Nehemiah 1:1-11 Key Verse: 1:4

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

Last week we learn that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. Praise Jesus who defeated the power of sin and death through his resurrection! Practically, this means we are no longer slaves to the power of sin and death. We can live victorious lives in Jesus.  I thank God we could complete 1,2,3 John. Now we will begin the book of Nehemiah. According to Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church, the book of Nehemiah is considered the greatest leadership book every written. J.I. Packer describes Nehemiah as "a pastoral leader and politician par excellence".  This book is a treasure chest full of wisdom and insight. In this book, we can discover effective lessons on leadership and management. We learn how God planted in Nehemiah’s heart his own personal BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goal): Rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and the lives of his people. In addition, we also learn how God helped him fulfill his goal in practical ways. In today’s passage we will study the prayer of Nehemiah.  It was not one of those quickie prayers we say before a meal. It was a tearful, soul-searching, gut-wrenching prayer that lasted four months. We also learn from Nehemiah what kind of person God uses for his work and ministry. May God bless our Nehemiah study.

First, A broken wall and broken hearts. Look at verse 1 "The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, " Who was Nehemiah? There is a joke that he was supposedly the shortest man in the Bible because he was "Knee-High-Miah". Nehemiah was cupbearer to Artaxerxes, the king of Persia (1:11b). It was a comfortable, high paying government job, serving the king of the world’s super power nation. He lived in the citadel of Susa, a heavily guarded fortress. The cupbearer’s job was not so easy. He was like security guards who protected the president. Instead of using a gun, he used his mouth. In those days government officials were the target of assassinations, Artaxerxes was no exception. As a cupbearer, he had to taste king's food before it reaches the king's mouth. He had to make sure all the fine delicacies and exotic drinks were not poison. Nevertheless, his situation was considerably better than his people. After the exile, most of his people were either living on the bottom of society, homeless or in slavery.

Nehemiah life was uneventful. However, one visit from his brother would change his life. Look at verse 2 "Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem." Hanani and Nehemiah exchanged pleasantries and then the conversation became solemn. Nehemiah questioned how the Jewish remnants fared that survived the exile and the condition of city Jerusalem. The news was not good.

Look at verse 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.'" Hanani explain with great sadness about their condition of the people and the city. The people were in utter distress and disgrace. The city wall was broken down and the gates burned with fire. The Babylonians had done this when they overthrew the city in 586 BC.  Why is a wall for a city so important? A wall was a symbol of support, protection and power. A city without a wall is like a newborn baby without a mother. It is like Arthur Miranda without his silky smooth voice. It is like Dr. Ben without the support of Christy Toh. Without the wall, the people were defenseless. They were vulnerable to attack and harassment. The broken wall was a symbol of their defeated and broken hearts. It was also a sign of disgrace and shame as a result of forsaking God.

Throughout history walls were built for noble and ignoble purpose. The most famous wall today is the Great Wall of China. It stretches like a serpent 5200 miles over the mountains and valleys. The wall was built over many centuries. It cost the lives of 2 to 3 million laborers. It was built to keep out the northern invaders. These days, we also have something called a firewall. It is a digital wall to keep nasty virus from invading our computers. However, there are some walls that are erected not for a good purpose. We must tear them down. These are walls built by bricks mistrust, hatred and alienation. There is the wall that divides nations like the wall between North and South Korea called the DMZ. There are people who walk around encased by an invisible wall of bricks.  The Bible calls it a wall of hostility. The rock band Pink Floyd composed an album in 1982 called “The Wall” to describe this wall of hostility between a father and son and students and teachers. This wall of hostility damages our relationship between husband and wife, parent and child and even Christian brothers and sisters.  It is a heavy burden to carry these walls all our lives. These walls cannot be broken down with plastic smiles. Only Jesus can breakdown these walls. Ephesians 2:14 reads “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility”

Second, Nehemiah weeps, fast and prays. What was Nehemiah's reaction to the news? Let us read verse 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 was living on easy street, he had a great job. The problems in Jerusalem seem many miles away. He was born in Babylon and never visited Jerusalem. But when he hears about God's people plight, he is overwhelmed with grief. The burden of his suffering people was so great; he sat down and began to weep profusely. Why did Nehemiah weep, mourn, fast and pray for some days? It was because he was a man of compassion who deeply loved and cared for his people. Once President Bill Clinton said “I feel your pain” He only said this to get votes. But Nehemiah truly felt his people’s pain. He deeply felt their inner despair, sorrow and loneliness. He was like Our Lord Jesus who wept for those who were overcome by the power of death.  John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible. It reads “Jesus wept.”  Jesus wept for all mankind who was oppressed by the power of sin and death.

We live in a world that lacks compassion. Many people have become desensitized to the suffering of others. Our society is saturated with movies and video games with gratuitous violence. It is easy to become numb and turn a deaf ear to the cries of suffering people, and concern ourselves with more “important matters” such as who will win American idol or if the Cubs will win the division again. Christians are not immune to this numbing disease. Once, our late pastor admonishes a few leaders for their lack of compassion.  He said if they couldn’t shed a tear for others, then use an onion to produce a tear.  His point was that God can only use those who have compassion for others. Our society frowns upon men who cry. They are considered “girlie men.” The media’s portrayal of an ideal man is like the tough and stoic NY cop, John Maclane from the “Die Hard” movies. However, those with cold and calloused hearts cannot be used by God. God uses people with a compassionate heart. Nehemiah’s tears were the beginning of a great miracle: the rebuilding of the wall and his people’s lives. Bob Pierce once prayed "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God." His heart was broken when he saw the plight of orphans in China and Korea. God used him to establish the charity organization called World Vision. When we keep our heart in God, we can weep for others with the heart of Christ. But when our heart is stolen and enticed, we can only weep for silly things like our bad acne or expanding waistline. I thank God for some of our young men in our ministry who weep for others. Recently, I was deeply moved by Len Austria who wept for his Bible student Jimmy. Jimmy has deep sorrow because of his broken family. But Len has become like a big brother to him. Jimmy’s parents are too busy to meet his needs. So Len often drives Jimmy to his chess tournament. Recently, he drove Jimmy to Ohio State University for an interview. I was also moved by Tim Fitch who weeps for one college friend. A week ago Tim wrote a heart-felt email about his struggle to help his friend. This friend is deeply wounded because he was verbally and physically abused. Tim takes care of him like his own son. But this friend never seems to appreciate his kindness. May God raise many leaders in West Loop who have God’s heart and compassion for others.
Out of Nehemiah’s compassion and tears, he wanted to do something for his people. He didn’t know what to do. What could he do, he was just one man? However, Nehemiah decided to prepare his heart and mind through prayer. Abraham Lincoln said "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." Lincoln gave the best advice for starting any task. Preparation is half the battle.

Nehemiah prepared by praying, fasting, weeping and mourning for four month straight. In this way, he sharpened his resolve and decision to visit Jerusalem. About 600 years later, Jesus would also pray fervently in the garden of Gethsemane to face a different mission in Jerusalem. His prayer was so intense that sweated drops of blood. If Jesus prayed, how much more should we? Sometimes, we rush to action without prayer. As a result, we experience failure. May God help us to find God’s clear direction through prayer. May God raise many prayer warriors among our West Loop members.

Let us look at Nehemiah’s prayer. From Nehemiah’s prayer we learn a few things:

Firstly, Nehemiah had a right view of God. Look at verse 5 "Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands," Sometimes, we tend to begin our prayers from the point of view of ourselves and our needs, “Lord, give me this and that…”  God is viewed as a social worker or Santa Claus. Here Nehemiah has deep respect for God. He doesn’t blame God for the misfortunes of his people. He proclaims our God is the great and awesome God (5). Men with great authority tend to abuse their power. As the historian Lord Acton once said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." and he adds "Great men are almost always bad men." Martin Luther knew this truth very well. He said if he had power like God he would destroy ten times a day! However, our God is different. Even though he is the Almighty God, he is also the God of love. He keeps his covenant of love even if we are unfaithful and willfully sin against him. So Nehemiah pleads for his people of the basis of God’s covenant of love.  Our God is great and awesome because he loves us, ready to forgive and restore. God displayed his covenant of love by coming to this world by becoming a man. He did this to become our friend and Savior. Later, he offered his life as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. God still keeps his covenant of love to this day. Two weeks ago we heard how God’s covenant extends to our young women of West Loop such as Grace Male, Martina Tseng, and Tina Kim. Because of God’s covenant, they have new hope and vision for their lives.

Secondly, Nehemiah takes full responsibility the spiritual condition of his people and nation (6-7).  Look at verses 6,7, he said, “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.”   It is interested to note that Nehemiah didn’t say “they sinned,” but “we” and “myself and my father…” President Truman was famous for the words “The buck Stop here!” This meant he was fully responsible for the state of the nation. If something failed, he took full responsibility, no excuses. Nehemiah also had the same saying, with a slight difference. His inscription read “The spiritual buck Stops here!” Nehemiah confessed it was the sins of his people, his father and himself that caused the devastation of Jerusalem. Here sins refers to their willful rebellion, pride, selfishness and adulterous hearts.

Nehemiah took full responsibility for the disgrace his nation is enduring.  God could use Nehemiah because he had a deep sense of responsibility. Jesus also wanted to teach his disciples this deep sense of responsibility. Once Jesus was teaching a huge crowd of people. Soon the crowd began to hunger. The disciples didn’t want to deal with their hunger problem so they asked Jesus to send them away. They had many good excuses why this would not be possible such as they didn’t have enough money to do so. But Jesus said to them in Matt 14:16 “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."  Sometimes, I say to myself Dr. Ben is fully responsible for the success of West Loop. If something doesn’t work out, well he is responsible. But from Nehemiah, I learn I must be fully responsible. Each of us is fully responsible. May God raise many men and women of great responsibility.

Thirdly, Nehemiah's prayer is based on God's promises (8-10). Nehemiah did not pray randomly or arbitrarily. He did not pray, “Lord, bless me because I’m pretty good….save everybody…heal all who are sick and especially destroy all the terrorists.” Rather, he prayed based on the promises of God. Look at verse 8b-9. '…If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,  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.'  Nehemiah’s prayer was not based on the goodness of his own heart. Rather, his prayer was based on the God’s promises. Nehemiah knew from the word of God that God is a God of justice. God will judge those who are unfaithful to him. God’s justice is a model for human justice. Human justice is important for a society to function. We need laws to keep people in check, otherwise there will anarchy. For example, we don’t like it when a cop gives us a ticket for speeding and DUI, but he needs too so that he can protect others lives. God is the same way. Nehemiah knew he and his people deserved many spiritual tickets from God because of their bad behavior. At the same, time God is the God of love. But our God is also a God of love. He will restore us if we repent, learn from our mistakes and honor his laws.  He is like the merciful judge who sees the large amount of tickets and dismisses them all. God’s promise is that some else will pay for the tickets. It is our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve on the cross.

Fourthly, Nehemiah prayed to be an instrument of His will.  For four months Nehemiah cried out to God in prayer. He prayed for wisdom how he can help his suffering people. Then God gave him inspiration! He will use his influence and position to talk to the most powerful man in the world. Let’s read verse 11a. “O 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.” “This man” is Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. His prayer was to speak to the most powerful man in the nation, and to ask of him a specific request. God gave him inspiration to use his position as the cupbearer to the king as a means to rebuild the city walls. To ask such a request was a great risk. It could be an act of treason to leave the king’s palace. Nehemiah’s story reminds of William Wilberforce, a British politician and Christian who lived in the 1800s. He was inspired to use his position in Parliament to do the work of God. God used him to abolish the British slave trade, introduce Christianity to India, founded Church missions and charity organizations and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Let us pray for God’s wisdom how He  can use each us for the rebuilding of our West Loop, for our nation and the whole world. Last week, Dr. Ben asked our members to find our unique talents. He encouraged us to use it and flaunt it for the glory of God. As the building of a house requires many laborers with different skills, so God wants us to use our unique skills to build up the house of God in West Loop. Jim Cook unique skill (i) gentleness (Mr. Rogers of UBF), (ii) environment-making and (iii) contemplation. For Christy Toh, it is (i)Organizing and planning, (ii)Teaching with one clear point (iii) putting up with Dr. Ben.

In this passage, we learn God wants to raise many servants like Nehemiah. We learn God uses people who have compassion for others and have a deep sense of responsibility. May God open our hearts to weep others and our nation. May God also pray and help us to discover our unique gifts and talents to rebuild the lives of others and our nation.