Nehemiah 1:5

 Nehemiah 1:5 says, 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,  These next few verses are Nehemiah’s prayer when he heard about the state of the temple and Jerusalem.  He started by acknowledging that God is a great and awesome God and that He keeps His covenant with His people.  If we think people are trying to tear down the church today, we as followers of Christ need to acknowledge that God is still an awesome God and that He has already guaranteed us success spiritually, and even if we fail Him at times, He will never fail us. 

Verse six adds, 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,  Nehemiah next asked that God hear his prayer, and as Christians, we can be certain that God always hears our prayers.  Though there is a song thanking God for unanswered prayers, I don’t believe there is such a thing for Christians.  We often classify prayers in which God says no as being unanswered since we didn’t get what we want.  Nehemiah then confessed that the people of Israel had sinned, including his family and himself.  We often want to point out the sins of others and not our own, and then we look down on them.  We are all sinners, and we should confess our sins first and then forgive the sins of others. 

Verse seven continues, We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.  Nehemiah said they had acted very wickedly toward God and had not obeyed His commandments and decrees.  Before we can hope to have the nation return to God, or come to Him in the first place, we must start by making sure that we are personally obeying God. 

Verse eight states, “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,  Nehemiah then brought up a promise of God to Moses, stating that if the people of Israel were disobedient to Him, that He would scatter them among the other nations.  Once we are saved, we are saved forever, but we can still be unfaithful to God, and that can bring negative consequences in our life.  Of course, we are commanded to be scattered among the lost people of the world to bring the gospel to them. 

Verse nine adds, 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.'  Nehemiah then acknowledged God’s promise bring His people home to the place He had prepared for them if they would return to Him and obey His commandments.  We will also one day be brought to our heavenly home if we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Verse ten continues, “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.   Like the people of Israel, we are God’s servants as Christians, and we have been redeemed by His strength and power by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as an atonement for all sins.  All we have to do and all we can do is accept His sacrifice in our place.

Verse eleven concludes, 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.  Nehemiah then asked God to hear his prayer and the prayers of others who delighted in doing God’s will.  He didn’t think he was the only one praying for the restoration of Israel, and we cannot think that we are alone in seeking to do God’s work today.  He also asked that God grant him favor with the king.  Whenever we undertake something for God, we must first make sure that it is something He has called us to do and then we need to ask that He gives us the strength and ability to do whatever we are called to do.  Nehemiah then stated that he was the cupbearer of the king, a position of trust, but not of power.   We can only serve God where we are, no matter what our position may be in life.  Of course, as always, the first step is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, and if you haven’t, my prayer is that you will do so today.