I. Praying for a Change (Nehemiah 1:1-11)

I. Praying for a Change (1:1-11)

1:1 God’s method is to work through individuals. He is always looking for someone he can use. Nehemiah son of Hacaliah would accomplish in fifty-two days what had not been accomplished in 141 years. His story is a reminder that if you are trying to fix what is broken down, it does not take long—if you put God first.

Nehemiah, a Jew living in the Persian Empire, was the king’s cupbearer (1:11), a significant role. More than just a food taster, the cupbearer served as chief of staff. King Artaxerxes would’ve made sure to fill the spot with someone who had a great reputation and could be trusted.

1:2-3 Nehemiah remembered where he came from. When his brother reported, Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned (1:3), Nehemiah knew that those in his homeland were experiencing insecurity galore because that was a sign of degradation galore. The people who’d returned to Israel had made absolutely no progress in reestablishing what God had intended with regard to their physical, social, political, economic, and family life.

1:4 Nehemiah wept and mourned . . . fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. He backed away from his personal peace and affluence long enough to ask, “What about those at home who don’t enjoy the privileges I know?” Some of us are on our way to heaven and are satisfied. When is the last time you wept over relatives who don’t know Christ?

Nehemiah prayed in response to the news he’d received. It sounded like Jerusalem’s was a society of broken people. Broken people cannot fix broken walls. This raises the question: is prayer the first thing or the last thing that you do when you see that something is broken? If it’s the last thing, then you waste time in everything you do that leaves God out of the equation to fix it. Far too often, we allow other things to push prayer aside rather than allowing prayer to push other things aside.

Nehemiah also fasted. Fasting indicates that you are really serious about your relationship with God. It is being willing to give up something that your body craves in order to gain something your spirit needs.

What wall has crumbled in your personal life? Your family life? Your career? Push everything else aside and connect with God on the matter.

1:5 Prayer is the preamble to action. You can always tell how serious people are about their belief that only God can make the difference by their prayer. Nehemiah began by saying, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands. While most of us would have jumped in and said, “Fix this problem, Lord,” Nehemiah reminds us that we should start off reminding ourselves of who our God is and what our God can do!

A woman once said to British evangelist G. Campbell Morgan, “I only take small things to God because I don’t want to worry him with the big things.” To this he replied, “Lady, anything you bring to God is small.” We tend to magnify our problems, when we should magnify God instead. If we rightly see him for who he is, we’ll never see our problems as too much for him to handle.

1:6-7 Nehemiah prayed day and night (1:6). In 1:1, his prayer began during the month of Chislev, and in 2:1 we’ll see that he didn’t get an answer until “the month of Nisan”—four and a half months later! I am often asked, “How long should I pray for something?” To this I respond, “Until you get an answer.” God can say, “Yes,” or he can say, “No.” Or, he can say nothing, which means, “Wait.” Until God says, “Yes” or “No,” you pray.

To understand what Nehemiah did in this part of his prayer, we need to know that God places his people in culture as a preservative (see Matt 5:13-14). He works through people to address society at large. But, the sons of Israel, who had a covenant with God, had sinned (1:6). Nehemiah included himself in this problem; he identified with Israel and understood his contribution to their woes (1:7). He knew he was in a representative position. A real man says, “I identify with this problem; it is mine.”

This man’s focus on sin when the wall’s state was likely foremost on his mind indicates that deterioration—whether in personal life, family life, or society—can be traced back to sin. And, one of the great failures in our culture is the failure of the church of Jesus Christ to acknowledge its own. The Bible says, “the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household” (1 Pet 4:17). Only then we can address the unrighteous.

1:8-9 This is an awesome line: Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses (1:8). Now, we know that God does not forget. So, what Nehemiah was saying, in effect here, was, “Lord, you remembered your word about cursing us: If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you. But, remember your other word: If you return to me . . . I will gather [you] (1:8-9).

No matter what mess you have created, no matter how far you have gone, God has good news for you. He’s in the gathering business. In other words, if you are faithful, he will turn circumstances around. No matter how bad things get, God will honor his word.

1:10 The word servants here is a good reminder that God obligated himself to the believing world, so the believing world could get things done for the non-believing world.

1:11 Nehemiah was a layman who had become upper class because he had gotten some unique privileges. It dawned on him that God had positioned him to make a difference. The man he referred to was the king. He was getting ready to ask his permission to go back and rebuild Jerusalem.

Now, you don’t just ask the king for such a leave of absence if you are his cupbearer, because you are the one who makes sure no one assassinates him. It would be unlikely that he’d let you disappear for months at a time. Nevertheless, Nehemiah intended to ask.

In the church, we often separate our careers from our worship. But, Nehemiah saw his career as a strategic position. King Artaxerxes was an unregenerate man, but he had the power to solve the problem. So, after arming himself with prayer, Nehemiah needed to ask for it. Prayer is the power for action. God can use the unrighteous to fulfill his goal for the righteous.

Perhaps you work for a major organization, but you have not interpreted your “cupbearing” as an opportunity to make a difference for the glory of God. If we are going to rebuild our communities, we need to learn to kingdomize our skills. Any person who uses a computer who then takes time to teach a brother or sister to use that skill so that they can become employed and become a contributing member of society and take care of their family has kingdomized his skill. Ask the Lord to show you how to use your job situation to make a kingdom difference.

Also of note here is the word today. Spoiler alert: what Nehemiah would ask would not work out for four and a half months. But, this pause is good news for you if you’re waiting for divine intervention: God has not forgotten you; he is working out a network of events. Sometimes, God has to let A go over to Z to get back to T to enter with B so you can have a well-defined alphabet of life. He is dependable and he is faithful. Don’t give up, but “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Matt 6:33).