Preparation first involves waiting on God.
Text: Nehemiah 1:1-11
What do we expect from God?
When we pray about a situation or a person, should we expect God to operate in our time frame, and in the ways we understand to bring the fulfillment we think is best? Or, are we prepared to do what God calls us to do in the way and time He calls us to do it?
Notice in Nehemiah 1:1, Nehemiah receives the report about Jerusalem from Hanani in the month of Chislev. Then he prays. And, in Nehemiah 2:1, when he finally makes his request to the king its the month of Nisan. According to the Hebrew calendar, Chislev corresponds to our December; and, Nisan corresponds to our April. That's 4 months of prayer and fasting! In our world of instant everything, its very hard for us to pray and wait on God. We’re very hasty and impatient creatures.
The Second thing that preparation means is, commitment. It means being available for God to work in us and through us in His way.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer for the King (Nehemiah 1:11b). The cupbearer tasted the wine before the king drank it, tasted the food before the king ate it. If someone tried to poison the king the cupbearer would die.It was a position of intimacy and trust. The cupbearer had to be with the king during confidential discussions. It has been suggested that, apart from the queen, the cupbearer had the greatest influence on the king. So, there was no one else in the kingdom in a position to speak to the king about Jerusalem the way Nehemiah did. God had placed Nehemiah there for a reason.
In 2:8, after his conversation with the king, Nehemiah says that he was successful. Why? “Because the good hand of my God was on me.”
Unlike our current times, I have read that in ancient Greece, to prevent foolish politicians from proposing idiotic laws, lawmakers were asked to introduce all new laws while standing on a platform with a rope around their neck. If the law passed, the rope was removed. If it failed, the platform was removed. Hmm......
How committed are we to God’s plan of action? Its easy for us to complain about our boss, to gossip about people in the church, to back stab people in the community, to gripe and moan about the way things are when none of these people are with us.
How many of us are prepared to act, choosing to do what God calls us to do, in the way He wants us to do it?
It is hard. It wasn’t easy for Nehemiah either. In 2:2, coming before the king he says, “I was very much afraid.” In 2:4, when the king asks him what he wants Nehemiah answers by saying that he prayed to God for- “HELP!”
It wasn’t easy for Nehemiah. It isn’t easy for us. When we are up against a wall we need to be prepared, choosing and being committed to do what God calls us to do.
The Third and final part of preparation is PLANNING. The tone and wording of Nehemiah’s speech would have to be very careful. Nehemiah has thought this all out.
Verse 2, the king asks Nehemiah: “What’s wrong?” “The city of my father’s tombs is in ruins.” Notice he mentions tombs, something the king can relate to. Verse 4: “What do you want to do?” “To rebuild it.” Verse 6: “How long will it take?” And, Nehemiah gives him a definite time period.
He had thought out everything he would need. He was a 1,600 mile round trip through hostile territory to fix the walls of a city. A city the rulers of the area would rather have in ruins. He asks for letters to the governors of the provinces that he would have to pass through. The letters with the king’s signature would guarantee safe passage. He needed supplies, so he asked for letters of requisition, - asking for timber from the king’s own forest.
Nehemiah knew what he was going to say and how he was going to say it, long before he was called on to say it. He had the answers to the kings questions and a plan to be put into action. Praying in faith is not a substitute for careful planning.
God honors orderly thinking. Jesus said, “When a man wants to build a tower, does he not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Or, what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:28,31)
We should learn to think our issues and plans through before we commit ourselves. We need to be prepared for what we're getting into.
With God, praying and waiting is always an adventure. It is never passive. It is always productive, a time of preparation. A time to think through our commitment to God’s purposes. Time to evaluate the resources He’s given us. Time to consider the possibilities and how they can be realized. So that in God’s way and in God’s time we will be ready to move as He leads us forward.
No human being could have opened the heart of the king to Nehemiah‘s request, but, God did. God brought Egypt to its knees before Moses. God preserved His people through Esther.
He wants to work in our lives, with the people and situations we face. Will we pray? Will we prepare?
Expecting God to move us forward in His time and in His way?
Amen…………
Showing posts with label wall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wall. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Up Against the Wall (Part 2)
There are four parts to Nehemiah's prayer. There are four areas to focus on when we engage in prayer.
Text: Nehemiah 1:1-11
The first part of prayer is referenced in verse 5: Adoration, praising God. Nehemiah 1:5, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,”
When we come to God in praise we are not just coming in prayer to a man, an idea or a philosophy with some wishful thinking or good thoughts. When we come to God and lift up His name, we are speaking to the Almighty, Sovereign and Omniscient God who is enthroned in Heaven. He is awesome and beyond comprehension, and this should put everything else in perspective.
Who is a greatest ruler on earth compared to God? What situation - what wall - is stronger than God? What boss? What spouse? What disease? We begin with praise.
The second part of prayer, Nehemiah confesses his part in the problem. Verses 6 and 7, “Let Your ear - God - now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am, praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which You commanded Your servant Moses.”
Nehemiah’s confession is not just about what God’s people did 140 years before. Not just whining or complaining about how they all sinned and got into this mess. Nehemiah is praying about his own part in that sin. This is a hard thing to do. When we are in conflict with another person our usual response is to blame the other person. We work hard to think of a long list of how the other person is the real root of the problem. We rarely honestly consider our own part in the problem.
Nehemiah goes to God and says, “I am guilty. I confess. I’m part of the problem. Change me. Work in my life so that I can be a part of the answer.”
The third part of prayer is that Nehemiah claimed God's promise. Verses 8-10: “Remember the word which you - God - 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 those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ Jerusalem. They are your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.”
Nehemiah knew his Scriptures. In the middle of his prayer he quotes God’s word from Leviticus 26, God’s promise to judge and scatter Israel if they turn to sin (Leviticus 26:14); and from Deuteronomy 30- God’s promise to restore the nation from its exile. Nehemiah says, “Lord, we’ve disobeyed and you were true to your promise. We’re judged and scattered. But, Lord, You also promised to restore us and protect us. I’m claiming that promise.”
Sometimes, especially when we are pinned up against a wall, we should stop and make a list of God’s promises. Somewhere on that list we will undoubtedly find at least one promise that we can claim in our situation. God doesn’t flippantly hand our promises. God makes promises to us purposefully to meet every situation and need that we have in life.
We can claim these promises:
“Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)
“Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things everything we need for life now and forever all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
Whatever the circumstance, He is always with us.
The fourth and final part of prayer, Nehemiah brings his request to God. Verse 11, “O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man. Now I was the cupbearer of the king."
What is Nehemiah asking for here? He is asking is to be successful in bringing his plan before the ruler of the Persian Empire. It's a bold and courageous prayer. It comes from the lips of Nehemiah, who reveres God’s name.
In this world of cell phones, email, Voice mail, texting, twitter, television and all the constant activity and movement, it is so tempting for us to want to move on quickly to our own solutions, or to spin around getting frustrated and depressed by our problems. We need to stop, go in prayer and wait on God to clear our vision. We need to quiet our hearts and turn in faith, to God. He is who we need for impossible circumstances. Like Nehemiah, He is waiting for us to cry out to Him.
Let's stop and review...there are four parts to prayer: adoration, confess your part in the problem, review and claim God's promises to you, bring your request to God.
Let us now look at the second part of Nehemiah’s response. Nehemiah 2:1-8, "And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of the king of the Persian Empire that wine was before him, and I - Nehemiah - took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So, the King said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, 'Let the king live forever'. Why should my face not be sad when the city - Jerusalem - the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”
Then the king said to me, “What would you request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.”
And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.
Nehemiah's next step was to prepare for God to move. What does preparation mean?
[conclusion tomorrow...]
Text: Nehemiah 1:1-11
The first part of prayer is referenced in verse 5: Adoration, praising God. Nehemiah 1:5, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,”
When we come to God in praise we are not just coming in prayer to a man, an idea or a philosophy with some wishful thinking or good thoughts. When we come to God and lift up His name, we are speaking to the Almighty, Sovereign and Omniscient God who is enthroned in Heaven. He is awesome and beyond comprehension, and this should put everything else in perspective.
Who is a greatest ruler on earth compared to God? What situation - what wall - is stronger than God? What boss? What spouse? What disease? We begin with praise.
The second part of prayer, Nehemiah confesses his part in the problem. Verses 6 and 7, “Let Your ear - God - now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am, praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which You commanded Your servant Moses.”
Nehemiah’s confession is not just about what God’s people did 140 years before. Not just whining or complaining about how they all sinned and got into this mess. Nehemiah is praying about his own part in that sin. This is a hard thing to do. When we are in conflict with another person our usual response is to blame the other person. We work hard to think of a long list of how the other person is the real root of the problem. We rarely honestly consider our own part in the problem.
Nehemiah goes to God and says, “I am guilty. I confess. I’m part of the problem. Change me. Work in my life so that I can be a part of the answer.”
The third part of prayer is that Nehemiah claimed God's promise. Verses 8-10: “Remember the word which you - God - 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 those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ Jerusalem. They are your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.”
Nehemiah knew his Scriptures. In the middle of his prayer he quotes God’s word from Leviticus 26, God’s promise to judge and scatter Israel if they turn to sin (Leviticus 26:14); and from Deuteronomy 30- God’s promise to restore the nation from its exile. Nehemiah says, “Lord, we’ve disobeyed and you were true to your promise. We’re judged and scattered. But, Lord, You also promised to restore us and protect us. I’m claiming that promise.”
Sometimes, especially when we are pinned up against a wall, we should stop and make a list of God’s promises. Somewhere on that list we will undoubtedly find at least one promise that we can claim in our situation. God doesn’t flippantly hand our promises. God makes promises to us purposefully to meet every situation and need that we have in life.
We can claim these promises:
“Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)
“Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things everything we need for life now and forever all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
Whatever the circumstance, He is always with us.
The fourth and final part of prayer, Nehemiah brings his request to God. Verse 11, “O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man. Now I was the cupbearer of the king."
What is Nehemiah asking for here? He is asking is to be successful in bringing his plan before the ruler of the Persian Empire. It's a bold and courageous prayer. It comes from the lips of Nehemiah, who reveres God’s name.
In this world of cell phones, email, Voice mail, texting, twitter, television and all the constant activity and movement, it is so tempting for us to want to move on quickly to our own solutions, or to spin around getting frustrated and depressed by our problems. We need to stop, go in prayer and wait on God to clear our vision. We need to quiet our hearts and turn in faith, to God. He is who we need for impossible circumstances. Like Nehemiah, He is waiting for us to cry out to Him.
Let's stop and review...there are four parts to prayer: adoration, confess your part in the problem, review and claim God's promises to you, bring your request to God.
Let us now look at the second part of Nehemiah’s response. Nehemiah 2:1-8, "And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of the king of the Persian Empire that wine was before him, and I - Nehemiah - took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So, the King said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, 'Let the king live forever'. Why should my face not be sad when the city - Jerusalem - the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”
Then the king said to me, “What would you request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.”
And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.
Nehemiah's next step was to prepare for God to move. What does preparation mean?
[conclusion tomorrow...]
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Up Against the Wall (Part 1)
Text: Nehemiah 1:1-11 (New International Version, ©2011)
"1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “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.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 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. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 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.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
What are we to do when we come up against people that seemingly go out of their way to tear us down, to oppose us, Or to make unreasonable demands on our lives? How are we suppose to handle impossible situations and people that we will inevitably run into as we try to live our lives? How can we keep going forward, when inwardly we’re crumbling and feel that we just can’t go on?
Nehemiah was a regular guy, like us, who was called by God to do a seemingly impossible job against tremendous opposition. Let us see what we can learn from him about how to move forward in difficult times.
First, let's get a picture of what's going on around Nehemiah. Unfortunately for that, we need to look at a little history. Under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, Israel had become a significant nation and a major military and economic power. It was the golden age of Israel’s history. Towards the end of Solomon’s life, we know that he compromised with the world, he lived in sin and led the nation into sin. And so, God judged him and the nation.
1 Kings 11:11and12 says this: So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you.... Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but will tear it out of the hand of your son.”
When Solomon died, the kingdom divided in two; ten tribes went to the north and became the Kingdom of Israel, and two tribes remained in the south around Jerusalem and became the Kingdom of Judah. They were a nation divided and they hated each other. Even while they were being attacked by other nations, they fought among themselves. Their battles covered all aspects of their lives, spiritual, economic, and political issues. So, within a short period of time they went from a high plateau of success to complete ruin.
In 722 B.C. Assyria invaded and captured Israel. Then in 586 B.C. the Babylonian’s finished off Judah in the south and carried the people off into captivity. When the Babylonian’s got to Jerusalem they destroyed it. They burned the Temple, they tore down the wall around the city, they set fire to all the fortified buildings and they destroyed everything of value. This beautiful city, the pride of Israel, this city that the Bible uses as a symbol of God's dwelling place with mankind, where God’s glory and blessing were displayed to the world, was now in ruins.
About 140 years later Nehemiah is in Susa, in southwestern Persia. This was the winter capital of the Persian Empire. Hanani, one of Nehemiah’s brothers and some others have come back from Judah, and Nehemiah asks them what’s happening in Jerusalem.
A group has returned from the homeland and Nehemiah wants to know what’s happening in Jerusalem. Hanani tells him, “Its not good. The people are in misery. They’re suffering in every way imaginable. The city is defenseless against its enemies, the wall is broken down and its gates are wide open.”
So, what is Nehemiah's response? He sits down and begins to weep and mourn for days.
Every day we turn on our televisions and we see images of people who are living in misery. People whose walls have been broken down. We often come up against situations and people which cause us to sit down and begin to weep and mourn. Things like disease, problems with a spouse, a boss, work or destructive habits. How do we go on? When Nehemiah hears the news the first place he went was to his knees. Verse 4 says, "When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."
But that isn't usually what we do, is it? Our first response usually is to try figure out how to solve the problem, to figure out who or what is to blame, to work out a plan - to fix it. Or, we get angry or depressed. Nehemiah reminds us that whatever our problems are, they will never be completely solved unless we first go to God in prayer.
Verses 5 to 11 tell us what Nehemiah prayed to God for. What he emphasizes in his prayer can help us when we pray. There are four parts to his prayer. There are four areas to focus on when we engage in prayer.
And that's where we'll pick up tomorrow...
"1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “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.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 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. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 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.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
What are we to do when we come up against people that seemingly go out of their way to tear us down, to oppose us, Or to make unreasonable demands on our lives? How are we suppose to handle impossible situations and people that we will inevitably run into as we try to live our lives? How can we keep going forward, when inwardly we’re crumbling and feel that we just can’t go on?
Nehemiah was a regular guy, like us, who was called by God to do a seemingly impossible job against tremendous opposition. Let us see what we can learn from him about how to move forward in difficult times.
First, let's get a picture of what's going on around Nehemiah. Unfortunately for that, we need to look at a little history. Under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, Israel had become a significant nation and a major military and economic power. It was the golden age of Israel’s history. Towards the end of Solomon’s life, we know that he compromised with the world, he lived in sin and led the nation into sin. And so, God judged him and the nation.
1 Kings 11:11and12 says this: So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you.... Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but will tear it out of the hand of your son.”
When Solomon died, the kingdom divided in two; ten tribes went to the north and became the Kingdom of Israel, and two tribes remained in the south around Jerusalem and became the Kingdom of Judah. They were a nation divided and they hated each other. Even while they were being attacked by other nations, they fought among themselves. Their battles covered all aspects of their lives, spiritual, economic, and political issues. So, within a short period of time they went from a high plateau of success to complete ruin.
In 722 B.C. Assyria invaded and captured Israel. Then in 586 B.C. the Babylonian’s finished off Judah in the south and carried the people off into captivity. When the Babylonian’s got to Jerusalem they destroyed it. They burned the Temple, they tore down the wall around the city, they set fire to all the fortified buildings and they destroyed everything of value. This beautiful city, the pride of Israel, this city that the Bible uses as a symbol of God's dwelling place with mankind, where God’s glory and blessing were displayed to the world, was now in ruins.
About 140 years later Nehemiah is in Susa, in southwestern Persia. This was the winter capital of the Persian Empire. Hanani, one of Nehemiah’s brothers and some others have come back from Judah, and Nehemiah asks them what’s happening in Jerusalem.
A group has returned from the homeland and Nehemiah wants to know what’s happening in Jerusalem. Hanani tells him, “Its not good. The people are in misery. They’re suffering in every way imaginable. The city is defenseless against its enemies, the wall is broken down and its gates are wide open.”
So, what is Nehemiah's response? He sits down and begins to weep and mourn for days.
Every day we turn on our televisions and we see images of people who are living in misery. People whose walls have been broken down. We often come up against situations and people which cause us to sit down and begin to weep and mourn. Things like disease, problems with a spouse, a boss, work or destructive habits. How do we go on? When Nehemiah hears the news the first place he went was to his knees. Verse 4 says, "When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."
But that isn't usually what we do, is it? Our first response usually is to try figure out how to solve the problem, to figure out who or what is to blame, to work out a plan - to fix it. Or, we get angry or depressed. Nehemiah reminds us that whatever our problems are, they will never be completely solved unless we first go to God in prayer.
Verses 5 to 11 tell us what Nehemiah prayed to God for. What he emphasizes in his prayer can help us when we pray. There are four parts to his prayer. There are four areas to focus on when we engage in prayer.
And that's where we'll pick up tomorrow...
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