Reflections from Nehemiah: A Charge to Pray
“Even when studying the first three chapters of Nehemiah, God met me directly where I was”
As the C&YA and FOI Bible studies have been in the book of Nehemiah, my Bible study, led by Lorena Reyes, has been looking at the person of Nehemiah, how he reflects Christ, and what we can learn from his character. More recently, we dove into the third chapter, where Nehemiah and the remnant left at Jerusalem begin to rebuild the walls and the gates of the city. A major take-away throughout our studies has been that Nehemiah was a man of prayer.
I just want to preface this with the fact that God knows what He’s doing all of the time. Even when studying the first three chapters of Nehemiah, God met me directly where I was. I’m at a loss of words to explain the lessons I learned concerning the desperate need of prayer.
In the first chapter of Nehemiah, “pray” or “prayer” is mentioned 6 times. Eight of the 11 verses are in regard to Nehemiah’s prayer to God.
Nehemiah 1:3-4 says, “And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province [are] in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also [is] broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”
In verses 5-11, Nehemiah prays specifically and with a compassionate heart, interceding with confession of the sins of the children of Israel, as well as his own. He then prays back God’s promises.
The genuine burden and brokenness of Nehemiah’s heart led him to the most humble prayer before his God, our God, who knows how to heal the broken-hearted and redeem that which seems most unredeemable. The reverence Nehemiah holds before his God is of utmost respect because he knows who his God is, and he knows what his God can do. A verse my Bible study turned to is Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” When we are in prayer before the Lord, we must fear God and we must also be vulnerable.
From this, we can infer that Nehemiah was a man of discretion, discernment, quietness, and meekness. This displays his trust in God, God’s timing, and God’s leading. After he prayed this prayer to God (Neh. 1:3-11), he waited 3-4 months before bringing his request before the king (Neh. 2:4). Even in Nehemiah’s communication to the king, we can see his fear of God, for he prays to God right at the moment King Artaxerxes asks him for his request: “Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.” (Neh. 2:4)
“The burden is real, and it’s heavy, but the action comes when God moves in response to prayer”
Another phrase that stood out in Nehemiah 2 is, “the good hand of my God” in verse 8 and “the hand of my God” in verse 18. We are reminded that God is good, everything He does is good, and He doesn’t withhold that which is good from His children.
Psalms 119:68 Thou [art] good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
In verse 8 of Nehemiah 2, we see that the good hand of Nehemiah’s God answered his specific prayer, and He made a way for Nehemiah to go to the remnant and do the work of rebuilding the wall. By the end of chapter 2, Nehemiah shares to the remnant that the hand of his God has been good in the midst of their circumstances. Remembering God’s good hand encouraged them for the work, and they began to display confidence in God. Then chapter 3 comes along, when they begin the work, and are all laboring alongside one another in an orderly fashion. None of this would’ve been possible without prayer. Before any of the work was done, Nehemiah had been praying and waiting for months. He wasn’t going to jump the gun on God’s plan for the restoration of the walls and gates of Jerusalem.
This type of faith and trust in the Lord is challenging for me. I naturally want to fix things and be in control. I tend to say things too quickly, and my prayers had become casual and lacked reverence towards God. God showed me a lot about my own heart during these studies. Honestly, I was really discouraged and struggling to pray. I was facing some distress and didn’t even know how to pray. God exposed my lack of fear towards Him, which was directly related to my prayer life. Nehemiah was a man who feared God. He knew He was with him, and that influenced every action Nehemiah made, be it prayer, counting the cost of rebuilding the wall, leading others back to obedience to their God, or not getting lazy in the work.
Like I’d mentioned above, God met me where I was at. During the season my Bible study has been in these first few chapters of Nehemiah, I was facing some things that I literally could do nothing but pray about. One thing I’ve learned deeply in this season is that I can literally do nothing. Absolutely nothing. I especially learned that I cannot remove the pain of another. I can’t be what someone needs. I can’t solve others' problems. I also learned that this isn’t on my shoulders. The burden is real, and it’s heavy, but the action comes when God moves in response to prayer. The verses Philippians 4:6-7 have never felt more real in my life than during this season.
God has also met me with the truth of Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” In the beginning of Nehemiah, the state of Jerusalem was in utter destruction, with the wall broken down and the gates burned with fire. But, even just by chapter 3, we see the remnant of Israel work together to rebuild the brokenness of their city. God does the impossible, and He makes impossible situations work together for good.
“I must be in prayer for the lost, with a heart burdened like Nehemiah’s”
Overall, God showed me the importance of praying for my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, in addition to lost souls who are in desperate need of our intercession. My Bible study leader said, “Prayer is a hard work we are all called to.” Prayer is the actual builder of the work, and it’s the hard work that we are called to do. I must be in prayer for the lost, with a heart burdened like Nehemiah’s. God’s goodness reminds me that He is with me, He hears my prayers, and He can do the impossible, even with me.
Some verses for meditation:
Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Psalms 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
Psalms 27:13-14 [I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Ali Stallbaumer is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. She is also a part of a Friends of Internationals women’s Bible study.
