SERIES: Nehemiah
TEXT: Nehemiah 1:4-11
MESSAGE: “The Calling & the Crossroads”
v. 4 — “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.”
“The self-sufficient do not pray; they merely talk to themselves. The self-satisfied will not pray; they have no knowledge of their need. The self-righteous cannot pray; they have no basis on which to approach God.” — Cyril Barber
TEXT: Nehemiah 1:4-11
“Since Nehemiah’s natural bent was for swift, decisive action, his behavior here is remarkable. It shows where his priorities lay. It also reveals, by every phrase in this verse, the unhurried and far from superficial background to the famous ‘arrow prayer’ of 2:4 and to the achievements which were to follow it.” — Derek Kidner
Q: What do we learn about prayer in today’s text during crossroads moments? We focus on three truths about: (1. Who God is, 2. Who we are, 3. How He works)
1. Who God is (v. 5)
“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…” — NIV
“It deliberately postpones the cry for help, which could otherwise be faithless and self-pitying. It mounts immediately to heaven (as the Lord’s prayer does), where the perspective will be right, and it reflects on the character of God – not only for its encouraging aspect of staunchness and love, but first of all for the majesty which puts man, whether friend or foe, in his place.” — Derek Kidner
“You pray as your face is set—towards Jerusalem or Babylon. The very egotism of craving life is prayer. The great difference is the object of it. The man whose passion is habitually set upon pleasure, knowledge, wealth, honour or power is in a state of prayer to these things or for them. He prays without ceasing. These are his real gods, on whom he waits day and night…Beware lest the whole trend of the soul fix on a deity that turns a doom.” — Raymond Brown
2. Who we are (v. 6-9)
“…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.’” — NIV
“This inevitably leads to heart-searching and confession, in which Nehemiah, faced with such a standard, owns to personal as well as corporate guilt. He will have to come empty-handed with his requests.” — Derek Kidner
“(Christianity) is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” — D.T. Niles
3. How He works (v. 10-11)
“‘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.” — NIV
TAKEAWAYS: What do you do when you are at a crossroads?
- I. Evaluate your priorities (do you find yourself saying, “I don’t have time to pray?”)
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
- II. Confess your weakness
- III. Trust His Heart
v. 10 — “your mighty hand”
“God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” — Hebrews 7:25