Nehemiah led the people of God to rebuild the devastated walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days in spite of opposition, ridicule and internal conflict. Nehemiah applied a principle in his life that is sometimes overlooked in our analysis of his leadership principles. What made him so effective and what can we learn from his response to the trouble that had overtaken the survivors of the exile?
When Nehemiah heard about the inhabitants of Jerusalem in great distress and the city walls broken down, he sat down and wept and mourned, fasted and prayed for four months.
I live this burden of Nehemiah over the condition of the people of God. Eighty percent of all churches are declining or are in plateau. 3,500 churches are closing their doors for good every year. Many churches have had no physical births and no spiritual births in years. Church buildings sit empty or are nearly depleted of worshippers and are often sold to developers.
I talked to a pastor who said his church was "Post-Jesus." Post Jesus?! That is like, Pre-Hell. A church that has gone post-Jesus is like a swimming pool that is post-water or a Barbeque Restaurant that is post-meat or Safeco Field that has gone post-baseball (some summer nights I wonder). What is the point if they have abandoned the main purpose for their existence?
I am burdened for the state of the church because too many pastors are unfaithful to their spouse. A pastor wanted to meet with me recently and he asked me how he could be more effective in reaching people. I told him I wanted to ask him a question first before I answered his question. I asked him if he was faithful to his wife in every way. He asked how that mattered. I told him that I wasn't going to show him how to reach more people if he was a pervert! It's my new ice breaker with pastors.
Nehemiah began praying at the onset of his burden for Jerusalem. You will find 9-10 different prayers in the book. Prayer is not a formula; a mantra to be recited. We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17). Prayer is to be 1) from the heart, 2) done respectfully and 3) as a child speaking to a Father. During prayer, God sometimes moves His hand and He sometimes moves our heart. With Nehemiah, he does both.
Because we minister in cities no less spiritually broken than Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day, it is God's intent that we not only feel like he felt, but also pray like he prayed. Before devising a plan or beginning a project, Nehemiah spent some months praying and fasting for God to go before him and also prepare him for the task of rebuilding the city of God within the city of man, to use Augustine's words. Nehemiah prays repeatedly throughout the book (1:4-11; 2:4; 4:4-5, 9; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 29-31). In this we see the importance of prayer and what a blessing it is to have access to God at any time.
Without making Nehemiah's prayer a rigid prototype, it is helpful to learn from his example:
1. Adoration (1:5) - Nehemiah began his prayer by recognizing God as being great and awesome, faithful and merciful. Whenever you read the Bible as it describes God's greatness, stop and give praise to God.
2. Confession (1:6-7) - Nehemiah confesses the sins of himself and of his family and his forefathers who had sinned against God. Our self-righteousness thwarts the hand of God.
3. Remembrance (1:8-0; c.f. Deut. 28:64; 30:1-4; 12:5; 9:29) - Nehemiah's reflects on the attributes of God; of His goodness. We must remember that He will never leave us or forsake us; that He will forgive our sins if we confess them.
4. Thanksgiving (1:10) - Nehemiah gives thanks to God for His redemption of them.
5. Supplication (1:11) - He prays for success to accomplish his heart's desire and for mercy with the king as he would seek special favor from him (chapter 2). His prayer included other servants who would make this worthy endeavor happen.
A church experienced serious decline in West Seattle-only a handful of people remained. Ethel, the widow of the former pastor gathered with a few others each week in a small section of their 50,000 square foot church building. They met there faithfully to pray through every name in the West Seattle phonebook. They found a church planter (affiliated with Acts 29) whom they gave the building to extend his ministry. When his wife's health worsened with cancer, they gave the building to Mars Hill Church. We have been having over 800 attend each week in West Seattle at the high school while we are remodeling the building that will re-open on Easter. It all started with the prayers of these women.
The wall was built in 52 days and it all started with prayer. Any change in our city or our church begins with prayer.
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