Nehemiah is one of my heroes - a man without any power of his own but who lived a life of power.
He gained his power from God through prayer.
In terms of Bible history, he does not stand out like Moses, Elijah, David or Jesus. But he played a significant role at a very low point in his nation's history even though he was from a despised, defeated, and enslaved people.
His story is told simply and relatively briefly in the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
He appears at the beginning of the book as a cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia where the captive people of Judah now lived. The cup-bearer's job was to drink wine before the king drank it so that if someone poisoned it the cup-bearer - and not the king - would die.
A perilous job. But it was also a position of trust - Nehemiah was clearly trusted by the king.
E.M. Bounds, author of Prayer and Praying Men, describes what happened when several Jews returned to Susa in Persia after visiting Jerusalem which was in ruins following Judah's catastrophic defeat at the hand of the Babylonians.
Nehemiah was devastated by their stories - so devastated that he mourned and wept and prayed to God for days.
"How few the strong men in these days who can weep at the evils and abominations of the times!" writes Bounds. Nehemiah had a heart for his people.
As Bounds says, Nehemiah's prayer is a model for our prayers. "He begins with adoration, makes confession of the sins of his nation, pleads the promises of God, mentions former mercies and begs for pardoning mercy."
And then he asks God to prepare the king's heart so that he can talk to him about his concerns.
The king noticed Nehemiah's unhappiness and asked him why he was so downcast. Nehemiah prayed to God as he was telling the king that he wanted to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the fallen city.
In itself, this prayer in the midst of a crucial conversation reveals Nehemiah's total reliance on God. He lived a life of prayer.
The king granted Nehemiah's request and went further, providing material and his royal authority to rebuild the city.
But Nehemiah faced a whole series of opponents and problems once he reached Jerusalem. There were local powers who set out to sabotage the effort.
Bounds says "Nehemiah mixes prayer with all he does." He prays to God to foil the attempts by his enemies to undermine the reconstruction. And he prays to God for protection when the walls go up again.
Nehemiah ultimately completes his task of rebuilding the city.
Bounds concludes: "Prayer helps mightily in all matters concerning God's cause and wonderfully aids and encourages the hearts of those who have his work in hand in this world."
Nehemiah had no power of his own, but God's power was more than enough.
He gained his power from God through prayer.
In terms of Bible history, he does not stand out like Moses, Elijah, David or Jesus. But he played a significant role at a very low point in his nation's history even though he was from a despised, defeated, and enslaved people.
His story is told simply and relatively briefly in the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
He appears at the beginning of the book as a cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia where the captive people of Judah now lived. The cup-bearer's job was to drink wine before the king drank it so that if someone poisoned it the cup-bearer - and not the king - would die.
A perilous job. But it was also a position of trust - Nehemiah was clearly trusted by the king.
E.M. Bounds, author of Prayer and Praying Men, describes what happened when several Jews returned to Susa in Persia after visiting Jerusalem which was in ruins following Judah's catastrophic defeat at the hand of the Babylonians.
Nehemiah was devastated by their stories - so devastated that he mourned and wept and prayed to God for days.
"How few the strong men in these days who can weep at the evils and abominations of the times!" writes Bounds. Nehemiah had a heart for his people.
As Bounds says, Nehemiah's prayer is a model for our prayers. "He begins with adoration, makes confession of the sins of his nation, pleads the promises of God, mentions former mercies and begs for pardoning mercy."
And then he asks God to prepare the king's heart so that he can talk to him about his concerns.
The king noticed Nehemiah's unhappiness and asked him why he was so downcast. Nehemiah prayed to God as he was telling the king that he wanted to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the fallen city.
In itself, this prayer in the midst of a crucial conversation reveals Nehemiah's total reliance on God. He lived a life of prayer.
The king granted Nehemiah's request and went further, providing material and his royal authority to rebuild the city.
But Nehemiah faced a whole series of opponents and problems once he reached Jerusalem. There were local powers who set out to sabotage the effort.
Bounds says "Nehemiah mixes prayer with all he does." He prays to God to foil the attempts by his enemies to undermine the reconstruction. And he prays to God for protection when the walls go up again.
Nehemiah ultimately completes his task of rebuilding the city.
Bounds concludes: "Prayer helps mightily in all matters concerning God's cause and wonderfully aids and encourages the hearts of those who have his work in hand in this world."
Nehemiah had no power of his own, but God's power was more than enough.
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