Mount Zion Ministries
Bringing the Power of Resurrection Life to the Nation by Grace alone - through Faith alone - in Christ alone
Some Thoughts on Nehemiah – 4 Prevailing Prayer
Nehemiah 2:1-8 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that] wine [was] before him: and I took up the wine and gave [it] unto the king. Now I had not been [beforetime] sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why [is] thy countenance sad, seeing thou [art] not sick? this [is] nothing [else] but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, [lieth] waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which [appertained] to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Once more, we are going to consider a man, a man who was not a king or ruler, neither was he a priest or a prophet, and yet he is as well known (certainly in Christian circles) as any prophet, priest or king. Why is this? Well, not only is he referred to in the book bearing his name, but he is also mentioned in the book of Ezra. The real reason that Nehemiah is so well known and loved is because he is a plain, straightforward person just like anyone else . Yes, he had a high position in the Persian court, but he was a man, just like any other. James refers to Elijah as “a man subject to like passions as we are”, and indeed he is, but so also is Nehemiah.
James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. In the passage before us, Nehemiah is carrying out his duty as cupbearer to the king. It is now the month of Nissan, which is equivalent to our March, and is some three or four months after he had first heard of the dreadful state of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu (November), in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace… The news was so shocking to Nehemiah, who had assumed that the remnant, which had travelled with Ezra, would have restored somewhat the glory of Jerusalem of old, that we are told quite clearly:
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Bringing the Power of Resurrection Life to the Nation by Grace alone - through Faith alone - in Christ alone
Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. Here is a man who, having heard some news that quite clearly shocked him to the core, simply came before the Lord and poured out his heart before Him. All the sadness, all the failures that he could see, all the loss of glory to Jehovah and much more besides, Nehemiah poured out before his God. When we are faced with pain, anguish, inner toil and conflict, do we turn to man-made remedies, or do we set ourselves apart and seek the only One who can and will help us?
Matthew 6:7-8 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of , before ye ask him.
Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him ?
Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask , and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
John 14:13-14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it]. There are many references in Scripture to Almighty God answering the prayers of His children. So we read about Nehemiah setting himself apart to weep, mourn, fast and pray, and some four months later, he is back on duty in the palace (probably as part of a rota, like the Levites had in the temple, but this duty was to the Persian king), when an opportunity presented itself. We may find it hard to understand why someone would be so concerned over the fate of a city which lay about twelve hundreds of miles away towards the Mediterranean Sea – more or less due west of his present incredible city. However, to the Jews, Jerusalem, and especially the temple, was where Jehovah had chosen to reside. His glory had once filled the temple during Solomon’s reign and all devout Jews longed for the return of His wonderful presence. Nehemiah had obviously prepared his outer body for service at the court, but his heart was still heavy with grief, so much so that even the king remarked upon his sadness, because usually, Nehemiah had appeared pleasant and cheerful in the king’s presence. We are told that he had not been sad in his presence before (2:1). Hence, the king made a comment concerning the state of Nehemiah’s being.
Nehemiah 2:2 Why [is] thy countenance sad, seeing thou [art] not sick? this [is] nothing [else] but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, No wonder Nehemiah was ‘sore afraid’; as was the wont of autocratic kings, anything that upset them was immediately removed, often permanently!
Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken . However, no command for immediate disposal came from the king, and Nehemiah, heavily burdened for the city of his fathers, poured out his feelings to the king. What had he to lose?
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His sadness was extreme, and his longing for the ancient pathways and the life of a devout Jew made him bold before the king.
Nehemiah 2:3 Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, [lieth] waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Again, no summary execution was called for, but only another question. “What do you want?” But take careful note of something that Nehemiah did before he launched into what he wanted, and this is the most important point of this message: I prayed to the God of heaven . Nothing, but nothing is as important as those seven words – I prayed to the God of heaven. When we pray, to whom are we praying? To ourselves, in vainglory, thinking how wonderful that we are praying such glorious prayers? To others who may be listening, again showing our vainglorious self? To the ceiling, if our prayers are part of a rote and duty to be speedily performed? To no one in particular, it is more of a comfort thing, like using prayer beads, in the hope that someone, somewhere, somehow will hear our desperate please, but we are so consumed by the disaster of the moment that we cannot focus our thoughts? Nehemiah had spent some considerable time, before coming into the presence of the king (not knowing that he would be challenged on the state of his being) in prayer – and not only prayer! He had wept, mourned, fasted and prayed. Again, it was not random thoughts shot off into the blue skies of Persia. He prayed before the God of heaven. His focus, through weeping, mourning and fasting, was solely upon the God of heaven. His first few prayers may have been a little random, but by subjugating his body to the desire of his spirit, his focus was pin-pointed upon the God of heaven. That is the true attitude of prevailing prayer. This is what Jesus meant when He told the parable of the importunate widow. She would not desist from calling on the judge to do his duty. Ultimately, the judge acceded.
Luke 18:2-8 There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily . Nehemiah understood this basic principle of prevailing prayer with Almighty God, and he also understood the principle of what James wrote in his fifth chapter – The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. I prayed to the God of heaven . It could not have been a long prayer, for they were at a banquet with the queen present. Do you remember another occasion in the same capital city Shushan, when a queen was summoned to attend the king, but would not? Queen Vashti lost her throne to Queen Esther on that occasion. It is the presence of the queen that indicates the solemnity of the occasion, and the incredible favour that Nehemiah had with the king on that occasion. The king, in his magnanimity and under Almighty God’s direction, allowed Nehemiah to ask for that which he had been praying for over the past few months. Prayer made – prayer answered. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. We have mentioned the following Scripture earlier, but it is so apposite: John 14:13-14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].
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Whatsoever – did Nehemiah ask for all spiritual blessings? Was he so super-spiritual that all he could think of was things eternal? NO, absolutely not! He asked for mundane things, such as – permission to travel, to build, and the wherewithal to do that building. He asked for those things which his heart and soul really wanted to achieve. We too should ask in such a practical manner for practical things that affect our well-being. Jesus hammers home the point to His disciples time after time – ask ! He who does not ask does not receive! It is as simple as that. Have you asked? Have you asked like that poor widow did – continuously, without ceasing. Indeed, is that not Paul’s injunction to the saints of Thessalonica
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Have you ever seen, heard, or watched a hungry baby when its food supply is not immediately forthcoming? That is what it means to pray in an importunate manner! However, Nehemiah was also a servant of the king, and the king asked him how long this project would last. Nehemiah was not to be sent upon a one-way trip. He was wanted back at the palace in Shushan, which in itself makes you realise just how important, trusted and loved he was in the palace. The world may not want to know God or have any dealings with Him, but most people do enjoy the presence of a true believer around them. They do not know why they enjoy that person’s presence, but they certainly try to keep the believer with them. The same applied to Nehemiah. Yes, he carried out his religious beliefs, but he also carried out – to the full – the duties assigned to him by the king and his officers. There was no shirking the tasks assigned. He did them all to the glory of God. Again, this is a powerful principle that all believers should aspire to in their dealings with the world. They are not to conform to the world but show the world how a child of God behaves in godless circumstances. The fact that, as temples of the Holy Spirit, we bring the presence of God into whatever situation we find ourselves, should remind us that we are indeed true ambassadors of our King, and His honour and glory must be paramount. We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son; we are light, we are in the light and we can shed abroad that light of Almighty God.
Matthew 5:15-16 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. That is why Nehemiah was so appreciated, and why we too are really appreciated by those around us. With that bit of encouragement from the king, Nehemiah continued in full flood with his requests.
Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which [appertained] to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. He asked for and obtained letters of safe passage, and timber, as much as he needed, and he seemed to need a lot! Was the hand of the king of Persia shortened? Could he not decree whatever he so wished? Why then do we baulk when we come to dealing with the Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent God, who is our loving Father in heaven, who delights to give His children their desires (unless they are harmful to them)? He longs to hear their childish patter
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and yearns for their attention without having to force Himself onto them. Why, if Artaxerxes could command his minions across several hundred miles to do his will, can we not trust Almighty God to that which we ask Him? Oh, we say that we trust Him, and indeed we do trust Him for our eternal salvation, but when it comes to practical matters – like Nehemiah’s trees to build the gates – our trust seems to fade, and we hedge our prayers around with all manner of unbelief. Did Nehemiah think that the king could do all that he had asked of him? Of course he did, that is why he asked. So, where lies our problem with asking Almighty God to do that which we need.
Haggai 2:8 The silver [is] mine, and the gold [is] mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
Psalms 50:10 For every beast of the forest [is] mine, [and] the cattle upon a thousand hills. God is not impoverished – indeed the whole universe is His, not just a few material benefits. Nehemiah knew that what he asked for would be granted for one simple reason. Nehemiah knew the ‘good hand of God upon him’.
And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me . And thereby lies the reason for Nehemiah’s success with the king. Because of all his prayer, mourning, weeping and fasting, Nehemiah had drawn close to Jehovah and knew that the restoration of Jerusalem was not only something that he, Nehemiah, wanted, but it was also the desire of Almighty God to rebuild Jerusalem and one day to return the exiles back to their own country. When you also know the good hand of your God upon you, then you too will ask and ask and ask and all will be given to you, because you are asking in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory’s sake.
Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him ?
Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
John 14:13-14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name , that will I do , that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it] .
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you . Pray – ask – receive ; whether it be trees or blessing the Father will grant it.
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