RETURN TO OBEDIENCE

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DAY 15 - January 19

Last week, our scriptural focus came from the book of Zechariah, which, if you remember, took us away from the historical books and into the prophetic books.  Today, we are going to return to the historical books and begin reading in the book of Nehemiah, which you will find immediately following the book of Ezra (the book we studied in week 1), in your Bible.  These two books (Ezra and Nehemiah), though they follow the same restoration story, are not identical in nature. Let’s first take a moment to uncover a few of the similarities and differences between these two writings.  

First, let’s take a look at a few of their similarities.  

1. Both are historical narratives that narrate the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple after the Babylonian exile.

2. Both address the Jewish community, both those in Jerusalem and in exile.  

3. Both focus on restoration, both of the temple and their relationships with the Lord.

A few key differences include:

1. They have different authors.  Ezra was written by Ezra, and Nehemiah by (you guessed it) Nehemiah.  

2. The authors write from different perspectives/roles: Ezra as a scribe and priest.  Nehemiah was a Jewish cupbearer to the Persian king Artexerxes 1 (later becoming the governor of Judah).

3. The story lines are consecutive, not parallel.  Ezra came to Jerusalem around 458 BCE to teach the Law and reform the community.  Nehemiah’s arrival on the scene doesn’t take place until around 445 BCE.  That means there is an estimated 13 - 15 year gap between what we read in Ezra and what we are about to read in Nehemiah.

Now, grab your Bible and take a moment to read Nehemiah chapter 1.

The book of Nehemiah opens with Nehemiah, an Israelite serving as a cupbearer to the Persian king, enquiring as to how his people were doing following their return to Jerusalem.  And the report he receives is less than ideal.  I am sure Nehemiah hoped to hear that his people, having survived exile, were now thriving!  However, verse 3 tells us that the people were in “great trouble and shame” and that not only had the wall of Jerusalem been broken down but the gates had been destroyed by fire.  It was made abundantly clear to Nehemiah that, though freed from captivity and having returned from exile, his people were far from thriving.  In fact, they were barely surviving!

Have you ever been in a similar situation?  You reach out to a friend or family member, thinking you are going to enjoy a light and fluffy “How are you?” conversation filled with updates on church life and/or family life, and hearing about the latest must-have Amazon find, only to be met by a “my life is imploding” bomb.  

When devastating news hits, it is typical for us to react.  As the weight of the situation washes over us, we likely experience a whole gamut of emotions: sorrow, frustration, and anger being the go to’s for most.  But then, after the initial shock begins to pass, it is now up to us how we will respond in the long term.  Will we choose to sit in our sorrow, frustration, and anger, or will we, like Nehemiah, allow the Lord to walk with us through the difficulty?  You see, as verse 4 tells us, in response to such devastating news, Nehemiah felt the weight of it (he sat down, wept, and mourned), but then, “for days,” he fasted and prayed.  

And you, my friend, are on a very similar journey!  No matter if your prayer focus for these 21 days is for healing, restoration, provision, or breakthrough for yourself or for others, by committing to this time of intentionality with Jesus, praying and fasting “for days”, you have also made that decision to not sit in your sorrow, frustration, or anger and, instead, allow the Lord to walk you through it!  So the question we need to answer today is, what does that even mean to “allow the Lord to walk you through it”?  

First, we must be intentional to pray - pray regularly, pray specifically, and pray honestly.  When the Bible tells us that Nehemiah fasted and prayed “for days,” it wasn’t just a few days where he lobbed frantic prayers to heaven while he panic-packed his satchel and tried to book a spot on the next caravan to Jerusalem.  No, after the initial shock wore off, Nehemiah pressed pause and, before he did anything, he focused on the Lord.  He fasted.  He prayed. In fact, it is believed that Nehemiah prayed for FOUR MONTHS before he took action in helping his people!  

Let’s pause here and take a moment to reflect and pray.  Are there any areas of your life where you are frantically fixing but need to be focused, instead, on Jesus?  If so, make a commitment today to “press pause” and spend time seeking the Lord’s direction and guidance throughout the remainder of this fast and beyond.  In fact, go ahead and make it “official” by going back to that list of “hopes” that you wrote down on Day 1 and add this need to the list of things to pray over/seek the Lord about/for.  I encourage you to revisit those lists daily and use them as a prayer guide during your daily prayer time.

Now, I think we can all agree that prayer is important, otherwise you wouldn’t have started this 21 Days of Prayer journey to begin with.  However, we stop short of all the Lord's intentions and desires when we simply pray and walk away, “washing our hands” of the situation, and not taking time to stop and listen for any action steps the Lord may be calling us to take - only recognizing God’s Sovereignty and not our responsibility.  

Friends, it’s important that we remember that He didn’t just save us FROM something (eternity in hell), but He saves us FOR something!  As Ephesians 2:10 says,

“For we are God’s masterpiece.  He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things

He planned for us long ago.”  (NLT)

We’ve spent the past 2 weeks intentionally and prayerfully considering our ways and remembering His faithfulness.  Now it’s time to look at all He has spoken and begin to ask - “Ok Lord, now what do You want me to do with all You’ve revealed in me and to me?”

This is exactly where we find Nehemiah in verses 4 & 5a, which say,

“When I heard this, I sat and wept.  In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the

God of heaven.  Then I said…”  Nehemiah 1:4-5a (NLT)

From there, Nehemiah launches into a prayer recounting the time he had spent “considering his ways” (Nehemiah 1:5b-7), remembering the Lord’s faithfulness and promises (Nehemiah 1:8-9), and finally, he says, now let’s get to work (Nehemiah 1:10-11).  

Notice, there wasn’t a passage describing the Lord laying out a blueprint for Nehemiah to follow as he reclaims his title as “servant of the Lord”, but clearly the Lord has spoken ONE thing to him during his focused time of prayer and fasting - approach the King on the behalf of your people, which we see in verse 11 (“grand me success today by making the king favorable to me”).  And boy did the Lord come through!

Let’s pause here and quickly read the first 8 verses of Nehemiah 2 together so we can see clearly all the ways the Lord provided as Nehemiah stepped out in obedience!

“Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.”  Then I was terrified, but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.” Nehemiah 2:1-8 (NLT)

Nehemiah knew what the Lord had spoken, He prayed for protection and favor, and then he not so boldly stepped out in obedience, as the end of verse 2 says, “Then I was terrified.”  But Nehemiah walked in obedience to the Lord - anxiety, fear, and all - and as he did, God showed up, providing for all of Nehemiah’s needs (both physical and spiritual) in abundance!

Today, as we, like Nehemiah, have spent time considering our ways and remembering His promises, power, and faithfulness, it is time for us to begin to do a little less talking and a little more listening!  It is time for us to say to Him, “Lord, I’ve been reminded clearly of YOUR part in all of this, but now I’m asking you to speak my part to me clearly.  Even if it’s just one singular step.”

I don’t know about you, but trusting God with one singular step almost feels more difficult than trusting Him with a whole dissertation of steps.  However, that’s not how He operates.  Not because He wants to keep things a secret.  It’s not a power grab, allowing Him to bait us like a horse following a carrot, saying “keep coming, you’re almost there”, as the “prize” continually moves out of reach.  No, His “one step at a time” approach is because He is gracious, loving, and kind.  He knows that the weight of the future would be far too much for us to bear all at once.  So He bears the burden for us, guiding us along one obedient step at a time.  

So today, for your time of reflection, I invite you to do less talking and more listening.  Take a moment to review all the Lord has revealed to you as you considered your ways.  Take a moment to remind yourself of His power and promises once again.  And then offer a simple prayer that might look something like this:

“Lord, thank You for all You have revealed to me about myself.  Creating in me a clean heart and renewing a right spirit within me.  And thank You for reminding me just how powerful and faithful You are, always have been, and always will be!  For Your steadfast love never ceases, and Your mercies are new every single morning.  But now Lord I pause, knowing well your sovereignty, and ask that you reveal to me my responsibility at this time - Not just in this season but in my day today.”

After praying, it’s now time for the hardest part: take time to sit in silence and listen!  How long should you listen?  Until He speaks!  Now, remember, as I said before, what He speaks will likely be a singular, non earth shattering step - So just listen for His prompting, His leading, His voice - that “thought” that brings a tug to your heart or tightness in your chest that you can’t get away from, that “idea” that seemed to pop into your mind out of no where!  And whatever that “thing” is (whatever He speaks), I want you to write it down, share it with a friend (because accountability not only matters, it helps!), and then act in, like Nehemiah, scared obedience.

And once you’ve been obedient to that step, thank Him for His faithfulness, power, and provision, and then ask Him once again, “reveal to me my responsibility at this time - Not just in this season but in my day today.”  And as you do that daily, you will be able to look back and see the many things you have accomplished with Him and for Him, one step of obedience at a time.  

​For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good

things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)