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Nehemiah is an incredible story, I come and read it again, and once more God speaks to me there. isn’t it amazing how the Word of God is living water, nourishing and giving life every time we encounter it?

It is God’s Word and so I read attentively:

“Now it happened in the month of  Chislev in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital…” that Nehemiah, the cup-bearer of king Ataxerxes, heard the terrible news that the precious land God had given them was desolate, there was no longer a wall around it, the gates had been consumed by fire.

The people there were walking in darkness. Nehemiah grieved.

However, Nehemiah knew what to do when terrible news  came. He had to pray. Pray to the Deliverer, pray to the Almighty, pray to the Promise Keeper.

And so he prayed, he prayed standing on God’s Word, on the promise He had made to  his people generations ago. He prayed with full conviction that God would hear him and would answer his plea, because He knew His God. He knew that God was faithful to keep His promises.

“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. And I said, “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, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.  We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples,  but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’  They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (Neh. 1: 4-11 ESV)

He cried, mourned, fasted and prayed before the Lord, he confessed his sins and the sins of his people, but he knew God would listen and remember His covenant, His Words spoken to his servant. He knew God was the Promise Keeper, and indeed God heard him and kept his promise.

“And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.” (Ch. 2:8)

May I learn to always pray with a fervent heart to my God who remains faithful, even when I sin.

May I pray always standing on his promises which never fail.

May I pray like Nehemiah.

May the good hand of my Lord be upon me as I walk daily on my way to heaven…

This is a repost from the archives (May 4, 2010)