Nehemiah hears the news of Jerusalem’s difficulties. The broken walls turn his heart to sorrow and repentance. This godly leader mourns and fasts and prays to the powerful God of heaven. His prayer to the Sovereign One (Nehemiah 1:4-11) takes his mind to his sin, the sin of his father, and the sin of the nation. He confesses that sin and remembers the sobering promise of God, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.” The Jewish people had experienced that scattering. Nehemiah finds himself in Persia because of the exile: the consequences of the unfaithfulness of Israel.
But Nehemiah focuses on the incredible patience and provision of God. Verse 9 of Chapter 1 begins with one of the most powerful and significant words in the English language – but. “I will scatter you, but…. The consequences are not irrevocable. The grace of God is boundless and His character yearns for reconciliation and restoration. “I will scatter you, but if you return to me…” If Israel turns away from their corruption, if the people return to God, if there is an about-face (a 180, a complete abandonment of disobedience), if they return, they will experience God’s hand upon their lives. To return obviously assumes that the relationship once existed; the covenant was established; the hand of blessing was extended. And now this promise of God holds the renewal of that communion.
“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 1:9 NIV)
Notice the two parts of the puzzle that define the turn of a man’s heart toward God. One, they must return; and two, they must keep the commandments. The first seems to be one of a heart response. The return to God is not restricted to a location. God is not asking for a pilgrimage to the temple or a journey into the desert in order to find Him – rather, he is asking for a heart change; a death, so to speak, to a selfish agenda and idols we set up in our lives. The second appears to focus on our attitudes and actions – obey the commands – from an attitude of rebellion to one of submission, from an attitude of independence to one of humble dependence on the great and awesome God. However, it is not enough to say the right words, feel the right emotions, and raise the hand of commitment. God is looking for action. The people must apply what they know. They must be willing to roll up the spiritual sleeves of life and repair the walls of the inner man. Man must take some steps of action in order to demonstrate (if just for himself) that his dedication, his heart, and his attitudes are genuine.
The promise of God is worth exploring – “I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen …” The fact that the Jews are back in Jerusalem is not an accident. God is gathering them back. God is pulling the remnant back to the capital city as a demonstration of His faithful love and restoration. Nehemiah is so confident that God is at work and that it is God’s desire that the walls of Jerusalem be repaired for His glory. It is the God of heaven that is gathering the people to Jerusalem, His place, the capital city of the chosen people of God. And notice as well that God is gathering them “to make my name dwell there.” The exile is over and the people are returning, not just to reestablish a government or to form a country, but to raise the name of God, and to declare His faithfulness, and to keep His commandments, and to glorify His awesome holiness.
Nehemiah closes his prayer with an acknowledgment and recognition of the Jews in Jerusalem – they are “your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.” These people belong to God – they are His people and his servants, ready to keep His commandments in heart, attitude, and action. They are people who have been redeemed. They are people who have experienced God’s great power and have seen His strong hand. They are a people ready to repent, repair, restore, and rebuild.
Nehemiah’s final words capture the petition of the prayer itself. He asks that God would be attentive to his prayer and the prayers of the people in Jerusalem, describing them in two significant ways. First, he calls them servants (both himself and the people). They are all ready to do His commandments; they are prepared for action; they are reporting for duty; and they are bowing their will to the will of the Redeemer. Second, he says that they are “servants who delight to fear your name.” They fear God because He is awesome, powerful, great, and transcendent. They find joy, contentment, strength, and peace in bowing before Him as the Master of all. The destiny of the nation, the future of the individual, and the glory of God’s name are all in the sovereign palm of His hand.
With all this in the front of his mind, Nehemiah makes his request of God. The second half of verse 11 reads, “give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man (the king).” Nehemiah wanted to be part of the rebuilding but he knew that without the blessing of the king, he would be powerless to the efforts occurring in the city. Nehemiah 2 finds the cupbearer (the servant of the earthly king) in the presence of the king but with the mission of God (his heavenly master) on the forefront of his thinking. The opportunity was right; God was about to grant him success and fill the meeting with incredible mercy and provision. Nehemiah’s prayer of preparation resulted in fantastic opportunities of leadership. The walls were still broken before him and the gates were still ablaze, but the awesome, great, and powerful God was about to gather him and bring him to the right place in order to proclaim His name above the nations.
How often my prayers lack the zeal and depth of Nehemiah. I hope that I can remember this passage and refer to it often as critical decision making comes across my desk. May my heart always be ready to keep His commandments and do them with integrity and with a servant’s attitude. The first step to effective leadership is prayer – the humble, submissive prayer of a servant in the presence of the Awesome God of heaven.
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