Today saw the beginning of a look at the book of Nehemiah with the Harvest Glasgow launch team. We are entitling the series 'Restoring the City' and today we looked at 'Prayer that responds and repairs' from chapter 1.
Jerusalem had broken walls and burnt Gates which made God's people vulnerable to attack
But the persistence of it pointed to an abdication of responsibility. We can learn four things from this:
Weak boundaries produce ransacked hearts.
We are too readily content to put up with spiritual squalour.
Trouble and shame is the fruit of this ungodly contentment.
There is a need for certain men to stand up and be counted.
Nehemiah sets us an example of passionate and persevering prayer that believes that God can rebuild what is broken and restore what has become ashes.
Prayer that repairs-
Rejoices that God is great (v. 5)
Regards God with humility (6a)
‘Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.’ John Calvin
Repents personally- no finger pointing allowed (6b)
Recognises that sin is always against God first (7)
Remembers God’s Word- learn to cling to God's promises (8-9)
Rests on God’s grace and mercy (10-11)
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