READ: Nehemiah 1:1-2:5
“O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day…” – Neh. 1:11
Nehemiah hears about Jerusalem in Babylon after the return of Israel from exile and mourns because of the misery that exists. Holes have been punched in the walls, gates have been burned, and people are exposed to robbers and looters. The temple service and life according to God’s commandments are in danger. Nehemiah feels called to work for the recovery of God’s city and people. He wants to be guided by God’s Word, for he and others who want to cooperate with him fear the Lord and want to serve God in reverent dependence. This is where they find their joy.
Nehemiah places his trust in God and prays for the plan he wants to carry out. He needs the permission of King Artaxerxes for his expedition, and his request becomes a poignant supplication in which he praises the greatness of God, confesses the sinfulness of himself and the other Israelites, and pleads on the basis of God’s covenant promises.
He also asks if the Lord will let him succeed in his request to the king for permission to journey to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. When he later goes to the king, he prays again for the Lord to bless the conversation. And when he gets permission he says gratefully: the good hand of the Lord my God is with me (2:8,18).
Nehemiah shows that prayer and work should go hand in hand in the life of a believer, with both the promises and demands of God’s Covenant. This concerns church work, but also your work for the maintenance of yourself and your family. Let us thus involve God in all our plans and thank Him for it afterwards.
Do you always pray for church and family work?
Singing: Ps. 127: 1