Nehemiah receives the news of Jerusalem’s walls. They are broken down and the gates are aflame. This sobering report cascades down into the heart of the man and Nehemiah responds with tears, remorse, and deep emotion. He quickly moves to a place of solitude and pours his concerns before the God of solutions.
His initial prayer is recorded in Nehemiah chapter 1. Some of its power for me is found in the reality that this prayer of leadership is not uttered in the midst of construction, or in the middle of personnel conflicts, or in the heat of major decision making within the strategic plan. This prayer is earnestly offered before the opportunity of active leadership is on the horizon. This is a prayer of preparation – the agenda has not been crafted; the vision has not been created; the troops have not been formed; and the plan has not been drawn.
But this prayer (found in Nehemiah 1: 5-11) provides insights for leadership. There are some key concepts in Nehemiah’s prayer that I want to keep in mind as I enter every new day of ministry. In fact, there is so much in this prayer that I will have to use more than one submission to capture it all. But let’s listen in to Nehemiah’s personal and private conversation with God.
This godly leader begins, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants…” (verses 5-6a). Notice these initial words of Nehemiah echo with thoughts of adoration, worship, and acknowledgement.
This prayer begins by affirming the reality and nature of God Himself. I find myself praying more like this, “Lord, please listen to my prayer and help me in this situation.” But look at Nehemiah’s words: he begins by spending some time thinking about the character of God, reflecting on his incredible audience , and sharing the reason behind his confident petitions. He describes God as “Lord, God of heaven.” Two aspects of this salutation jump out to me. First is the idea of authority. Every leader needs to recognize that he/she is not in control; the leader does not own the power; the leader is not the ultimate authority. Every leader needs to bow their knee, will, mind, and position to the Sovereign One. The servant leader really serves God first, then the people…the transformational leader is only an instrument in the hand of the Great Transformer… the spiritual leader must be obedient to the Holy Spirit… and the steward leader is responsible to the Master for his/her use of resources.
Second, Nehemiah describes the Lord as the God of heaven (not earth). Even though the walls and gates of Jerusalem are on earth, the solution to their ruin lies in heaven. The problems and challenges of this temporal existence need to be addressed from a heavenly perspective. God’s ways are above man’s ways (Isaiah 55:8) and in order to reconcile some of man’s natural complexities, it takes supernatural insight and intervention. God is not restricted to earth; He is not bound by time; He is not restricted by earthly kings and human leadership; He is transcendent; He is Almighty; He is God of heaven.
Nehemiah continues his description of God with two adjectives – “the great and awesome God.” To say that God is great is like saying that the universe is big. It is such an understatement that the depth of its reality is lost in translation. Consider just a few aspects of God’s greatness (ways in which he completely transcends humanity; ways that reflect His divinity, aspects that are incommunicable, characteristics that are non-transferable): God is self-existent (Ps 36:9); God is eternal (Isa 57:15); God is unchangeable (James 1:17); God is omnipresent (Jer 23:24), omniscient (1 John 3:20), and omnipotent (Rev 19:6); God is perfect (Ps 18:30); God is infinite (Ps 40:5) and God is incomprehensible (Ps 145:3). God is truly amazing and personifies greatness.
I find that American have so cheapened the word “awesome” that this term can be used to modify just about anything…my awesome iPad… this ice cream is awesome …that movie was simply awesome. But reflecting on God greatness, I think His being defines the concept of awesome. To be in the presence of God would strike awe in the heart of any man; to hear the voice of the God of heaven would cause me to fall on my face in a spirit of awe; Nehemiah understands and acknowledges the awesome character of the One he follows.
Effective leadership finds stability and purpose when it begins with an acknowledgement of God’s presence in the situation, when it pauses to commit its impact to the Awesome God of heaven, and when it prepares itself for opportunity by seeking the ear and eye of the Holder of human history. May all who choose to lead, learn from Nehemiah’s approach to leadership preparation.
I have just dented the surface of Nehemiah’s thoughts, but this blog must be continued at a later time. The prayer of Nehemiah holds much more for those desiring to understand the example of this godly leader. More to come….
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