It's one thing to mourn over a problem. It's yet another thing to actually do something about it.
Nehemiah mourned over the broken walls of Jerusalem, He prayed. He fasted. He pleaded with God. But he didn't pray that God would send just anyone he prayed that God would open the door so he could go. He prayed that he would find favor in the eyes of the King so he would be allowed to go and lead the effort to rebuild the walls.
In Nehemiah's prayer to God, he reminds God of his goodness and love. He says, O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants the people of Israel." Nehemiah 1:5
I'm not sure that God needed the reminder of his great love but I'm sure that God loved to hear these words from a man of faith! Surely the truth of these words reveal to us that Nehemiah's prayer was according to God's will.
In the first Chapter of Nehemiah we learn that Nehemiah is the cup bearer to the King of Assyria. As a cup bearer he bring the wine to the king and test the wine to make sure that it was not poisoned. This was an important job and the life of the King depended upon Nehemiah.
Aside from the divine intervention of God it would have been very unlikely that the kings would allow Nehemiah to leave but not only did the king allow him to go. The king was willing to send him men, lumber, and a traveling visa giving Nehemiah his personal seal of approval. You might say that God answered his prayer in a big way!
Yes, if you read the book of Nehemiah you will see the heart of a great leader with a huge vision and even tremendous faith and to complete the package we see that Nehemiah was a great man of great courage.
But with all of these qualities in Nehemiah's favor his greatest asset was his prayer life. Yes Nehemiah has obvious leadership qualities but no matter how great a leader you might be God is the one who ultimately brings about success.
Sadly we live in a day where leaders are a dime a dozen but prayer warriors are few to be found.
To ponder: What role does prayer play in your life as a leader? If you're success is in direct proportion to your prayers what kind of results should you expect?
Let us all be thankful that God uses us and helps us to be successful by his grace even when we don't always pray as we should but better yet why don't we determine to make prayer a priority in our leadership in the church, in our home or in the work place. These are the lessons we learn together as we walk through the Word together.
Showing posts with label Nehemiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nehemiah. Show all posts
Friday, September 6, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
the road of blessing starts with a broken heart: Nehemiah 1:4
Nehemiah was serving as the cup bearer for the king in Assyria several years following the exile of the people of Judah. It was a dark time indeed. It was then that he heard word about the people who escaped the exile. Hanani, one of his brothers, along with other men told him,
"....Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." Nehemiah 1:3 Then he writes, "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." Nehemiah 1:4
If you read the book of Nehemiah you will see a portrait of a great leader. Someone whom God used to accomplish his purposes to reestablish Judah by rebuilding the walls of the city. This was a mighty challenge! But today I want to point out that it all started with a broken hearted man who did two things.
1. He inquired of the condition of the people back in Judah
2. He mourned over the news of there great trouble.
Nehemiah had a passion for the people and a passion for the city of Jerusalem and I want to think about that today. In my next blog I want to focus on the fact that he had an opportunity to be a blessing and the boldness to carry it out.
But let us never forget that before he did anything else he had a burden in his heart and he mourned over that burden. Without such a burdened heart I'm not sure that Nehemiah would have done anything.
It is understandable that Nehemiah was deeply troubled to hear news of his homeland. But his attitude went much deeper. His heart was crushed and deeply burdened. Not only did he pray. He mourned and fasted before the God of heaven and I believe God honored him as a result.
Psalm 34:18 says,"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
and in Isaiah 42:3 it says, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."
In Matthew 5:3,4 Jesus proclaims, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted."
All of these Scriptures tell me that God is near us when we are deeply burdened. He hears our cries and is moved by compassion. But what really moves God is when we cry out to God in faith during our deep burdens.
The Psalmist wrote, "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." Psalm 18:6
Now it's not that God doesn't hear us when we offer our simple prayers for help. We aren't heard just because we call to God in a louder voice but God hears more then our volume. God hears our heart and responds with compassion.
Later you'll see that Nehemiah was going to be used to answer his own prayer and that is important but just for today let us not over look the importance of feeling the pain and suffering of others. God meets us at that place. Literally those prayers from our burdened heart are seeds planted and our tears are the first nourishment. Yes God meets us there. This is the place that we open up our heart and our hands before God. At these moments God loves us and fill our hearts with hope.
At these times we either wrestle with God like Jacob or we surrender our heart like Isaiah. Either way we are touched deeply by the hand of God and often a new call is placed upon our life. Nehemiah would answer that call but he may have never heard the call in his ears if his heart wasn't first opened and rent before God.
Perhaps you have a burden today. Some people might tell you to just have faith. Some might offer the wisdom of our times "Don't worry be happy." But sometimes God uses our sorrow for good especially if we allow the Lord to be present with us and meet us. Jeremiah 29:13,14a promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord,..."
Yes your heart might be broken but don't try to patch it up, suppress it, ignore it or try to move on too fast. Turn to the Lord in prayer and know that he will meet you. Trust God with your pain. Wrestle if you must but when morning comes let him have his way. You too may find purpose and a new ministry. These are holy moments lean into them, give the Lord your pain and know that in time God promises to make all things beautiful.
Prayer: Dear God bless my friends who are gripped in fear and pain today. Give them faith. Help them to open their hearts to you. Help them to cry out to you. May their tears be their nourishment and your gracious touch bring them new hope and direction. Amen
"....Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." Nehemiah 1:3 Then he writes, "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." Nehemiah 1:4
If you read the book of Nehemiah you will see a portrait of a great leader. Someone whom God used to accomplish his purposes to reestablish Judah by rebuilding the walls of the city. This was a mighty challenge! But today I want to point out that it all started with a broken hearted man who did two things.
1. He inquired of the condition of the people back in Judah
2. He mourned over the news of there great trouble.
Nehemiah had a passion for the people and a passion for the city of Jerusalem and I want to think about that today. In my next blog I want to focus on the fact that he had an opportunity to be a blessing and the boldness to carry it out.
But let us never forget that before he did anything else he had a burden in his heart and he mourned over that burden. Without such a burdened heart I'm not sure that Nehemiah would have done anything.
It is understandable that Nehemiah was deeply troubled to hear news of his homeland. But his attitude went much deeper. His heart was crushed and deeply burdened. Not only did he pray. He mourned and fasted before the God of heaven and I believe God honored him as a result.
Psalm 34:18 says,"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
and in Isaiah 42:3 it says, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."
In Matthew 5:3,4 Jesus proclaims, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted."
All of these Scriptures tell me that God is near us when we are deeply burdened. He hears our cries and is moved by compassion. But what really moves God is when we cry out to God in faith during our deep burdens.
The Psalmist wrote, "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." Psalm 18:6
Now it's not that God doesn't hear us when we offer our simple prayers for help. We aren't heard just because we call to God in a louder voice but God hears more then our volume. God hears our heart and responds with compassion.
Later you'll see that Nehemiah was going to be used to answer his own prayer and that is important but just for today let us not over look the importance of feeling the pain and suffering of others. God meets us at that place. Literally those prayers from our burdened heart are seeds planted and our tears are the first nourishment. Yes God meets us there. This is the place that we open up our heart and our hands before God. At these moments God loves us and fill our hearts with hope.
At these times we either wrestle with God like Jacob or we surrender our heart like Isaiah. Either way we are touched deeply by the hand of God and often a new call is placed upon our life. Nehemiah would answer that call but he may have never heard the call in his ears if his heart wasn't first opened and rent before God.
Perhaps you have a burden today. Some people might tell you to just have faith. Some might offer the wisdom of our times "Don't worry be happy." But sometimes God uses our sorrow for good especially if we allow the Lord to be present with us and meet us. Jeremiah 29:13,14a promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord,..."
Yes your heart might be broken but don't try to patch it up, suppress it, ignore it or try to move on too fast. Turn to the Lord in prayer and know that he will meet you. Trust God with your pain. Wrestle if you must but when morning comes let him have his way. You too may find purpose and a new ministry. These are holy moments lean into them, give the Lord your pain and know that in time God promises to make all things beautiful.
Prayer: Dear God bless my friends who are gripped in fear and pain today. Give them faith. Help them to open their hearts to you. Help them to cry out to you. May their tears be their nourishment and your gracious touch bring them new hope and direction. Amen
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