To give a little background story of what is going on…
This picks up after Babylon, who originally defeated Judah and Jerusalem, and completely destroyed Jerusalem, has themselves been defeated by Persian King Cyrus. King Cyrus allowed anyone who wanted to return home to Jerusalem.
I would encourage you to read the bible books of Daniel (first because there you will see what happens when King Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem), and then Ezra (second, because there you will see what happens with the first two waves of returnees to Jerusalem).
By the time Nehemiah comes on the scene, this is the third wave of returnees and the third attempt at rebuilding Jerusalem. With the encouragement of prophets such as Haggai and Zechariah, a fire is kindled in the hearts of the Jews to again rebuild.
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.”
As I sit and ponder over this verse, and see it for today, I think of those who survived the pandemic (who survived the plague because truth be told we are still surviving the pandemic). So those who survived “and are back in the province”, or back in the city…
What city?
In Nehemiah’s time, the referenced city was the city of Jerusalem. Also, these ones would have been the ones that were read about in the book of Ezra. These are the ones who returned to the city of Jerusalem, but they were going thru something.
Nehemiah 1:3 states that they are in great trouble and disgrace. Why? They make it seem as if it is a great thing to be back. So why are they in “great trouble and disgrace”.
What is crazy is that I can see this today even though I am reading about Nehemiah’s day. To understand why the trouble and disgrace, I encourage you to read Ezra, especially verses 9 and 10. The question is, will you be ready for what will be revealed to you in verses 9 and 10 of Ezra?
Nehemiah 1:3 also mentions about the walls of Jerusalem being broken down and the city being burned with fire. We will address more of that later as we consider God’s Word as it applies to us today.
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. 5 Then I said:
This is definitely a time of serious concern. This is definitely a time of weeping and fasting. This is definitely a time of prayer. These are definitely difficult times. Yet, through it all, I really appreciate the Holy Spirit, King Jesus, and our Heavenly Father more and more. Here is why:
Romans 8:26-27
New International Version
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Being so grieved over the conditions of everything that I have been seeing, it was the Holy Spirit that led me to begin reading Nehemiah and Ezra and Haggai and Zechariah and more. and through these Bible books, not only is the Holy Spirit answering me and showing me what is happening, but I also realize that through Nehemiah, I am also being shown how to pray. So let’s look at the first of Nehemiah’s several recorded prayers here.
“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,
Ah yes. This is yet another thing that has been brought to my attention as of late. I have also been led to pray
“Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.”
In this, we, as did Nehemiah, first acknowledge our relationship with our Father God. God is our Father. It is a parent-child relationship. Acknowledging this relationship causes us to humble ourselves before our Father. It causes us to watch how we address our Father – how we speak to our Father. It causes us to watch our tone, and this is one of the first things that Father tells us to do in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Next, acknowledging that our Father is in Heaven, causes us to remember His position over us. I like how a friend of mine recently stated that He is All-Encompassing. He is in Heaven. He sees everything. Nothing is hidden from him.
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Now that third part is very important. Hallowed be thy name is the same as saying Holy or cleansed be the name of our Heavenly Father and this is important because we have failed to recognize over the years that our poor behavior has reflected on our Father. Every time that we have disobeyed, and been rebellious toward our Heavenly Father, we have unknowingly called Him a liar. This has been to our own detriment.
Romans 3:4
New International Version
4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”
Our Heavenly Father God has never and cannot ever lie. He has always loved us and been merciful to us, spoken truth to us, forewarned us, provided for us, delivered us out of messes we have gotten ourselves in and so much more.
Thank you, Father
6 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.
Thy Kingdom Come
In this instance, Nehemiah is asking our Father to take note of all that is occurring with His people here on earth. Father said that if we humbled ourselves, prayed, sought his face, and turned from our wicked ways, THEN He would hear from heaven, forgive us our sins, and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Not only did Nehemiah humble himself in how he addressed our Father. Now only did he fast and pray. But, also in acknowledging the errors of his father and himself, he showed that he was turning around and away from the sins that caused us to lose favor with God, our Father in Heaven. You see, we cannot turn away from a sin that we do not acknowledge as being a sin. If you consider what was exposed in the last chapters of Ezra, you will find that the sin of the people is that they compromised their faith.
Will we honestly examine ourselves before the Lord?
Will we admit that we have acted very corruptly against our Father?
Will we admit that we have not kept his commandments, his statutes, or his ordinances?
Can you pray as did Nehemiah? “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, 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.”
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.’
Thy Will Be Done.
Our Father, which art in Heaven, when making the covenant with Moses regarding us, stated how there would be consequences for our disobedience. Many of those consequences we are not aware of simply because we have chosen to not read His personal letter written to us. We have committed the reading of these precious letters written to all of us to a select few, and that select few will only share with us small portions at a time. In this, we cannot place blame because the accountability for our not knowing what is in God’s Word is our own fault for not reading what has been made readily available to us.
So our Father, knowing that we don’t like to read, has used all types of avenues to try to reach us. We are even told that “the heavens declare the glory of Jehovah; the workings of His hands in skies above we see.” He is continuously calling out to us to “return to him and demonstrating that when we do He will return to us.
Verse 9 tells us that He will gather us back to him, and He will bring us to the place that He has chosen as a dwelling for his Name.
The will of our Father towards us is that we are reconciled back to him. He sent to this earth, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us back to him. He paid a hefty price for us. He gave up his life. He died for us.
Are we recommending ourselves still? Are we choosing for ourselves still? Or, are we waiting on the Lord to position us? Are we running to try to get back to something that is old when God is doing something new?
Our Father, which art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done…
10 “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.”
On earth, as is it in heaven.
Our Father redeemed us with his great strength and his mighty hand. He didn’t do that for nothing. He has a plan. A plan of restoration. A plan to bring us back to His original purpose for those who love Him and delight in revering His Holy Hallowed Name.
Because our Heavenly Father has a purpose for us; because He said that our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, and neither has it come into our thoughts the great things that he has in store for us, we can ask of Him, in accordance with His divine will for us, that we are given success “today” by granting us favor in the presence of ____” this man”____.
Who is “this man” for you? It is different for everyone. But know this… Our Father does answer prayers.
I encourage you to read Nehemiah chapter 2 and see the favor that Nehemiah received from King Artaxerxes of Persia. As you read of the favor that Nehemiah received, stand still in expectation that Just like our Heavenly Father did it before, for Nehemiah, He can do it again
I was cupbearer to the king.
Between a Father and HIS daughter 