By Kenneth B.E. Roxburgh, Ph.D.
Chair and Armstrong Professor of Religion, Samford University
PRAY
Nehemiah 1:1–11
Anne Lamott writes in “Traveling Mercies” that our two best prayers are, “help me, help me, help me” and “thank you, thank you, thank you.” Nehemiah would agree. At the heart of this man’s spirituality is an awareness of how desperately he needs to turn to God, to trust in God and to have confidence that God will answer his prayers.
Prayer arises out of sense of need. (1–3)
Nehemiah’s name means “Yahweh has comforted.” He is employed in the Persian court as a cupbearer to the king, selecting his wine, tasting it as a defense against assassination attempts and acting as a companion to the king. It is a privileged position which allows Nehemiah to learn news of his homeland in Judah. He hears a report of the sad and disgraceful condition of God’s people back in Jerusalem. The city walls have been broken and the gates which provide protection have been burned. His concern is not merely for a physical city but for a people whose lives have been shattered, whose faith in God has been undermined, who need the comfort of which Nehemiah’s name speaks so powerfully. His response is one of prayer, sitting in mourning and crying out to God in silence.
Prayer acknowledges an awareness of sin. (4–7)
Nehemiah suddenly becomes aware of the fact that this disaster has come as a result of the people’s sin, and he comes in mourning and fasting before God. He acknowledges the majesty of God as the one who is the God of Heaven, the sole and universal God who is great and awesome. Yet he comes to confess his sins with the confidence that God is the one who comforts. No sin is too great for the God whose unique character means that grace triumphs over judgment. Mercy meets him in his deepest need. Nehemiah comes before a God who is neither remote nor distant nor detached from the realities of our daily experience but one to whom we can turn even as we are aware of our sinfulness and cry to him for forgiveness.
Prayer is assured of God’s intervention. (8–11)
Prayer invites divine presence. It is like a bridge between two worlds. It offers unassailable protection. It determines the purpose of one’s life. It endows one with supernatural power. It gives one a powerful identity. It gives courage. It is visibly transforming.
Thomas Goodwin, an English Puritan in the 17th century, speaks about “suing God for his promises.” He means that as we come into the presence of God, we come on the basis of his invitation, of his grace. He has entered into a covenant relationship with His people which is founded on His faithfulness.
Nehemiah holds God to his promises. God’s promises put God under obligation to His people. Nehemiah asks God to fulfill what He has promised. Holding God to His promises enables us to hold on to God ourselves so that we do not despair when the days are dark and doubts arise in our heart. We are not reminding God of something that it seems He has forgotten; rather we are reminding ourselves that God is a God of faithfulness.
Through his prayer, his example, his tenacity in trusting in God, Nehemiah reminds us of the God in whom we have placed our confidence. We are being encouraged to join in the chorus of all God’s people, down through the centuries, who have turned to God in confession and confidence and God has answered their prayers.
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