The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 3:1-5 (day three)

While several of the names listed in this passage don’t mean anything to us, they would have meant a great deal to Nehemiah’s original audience. In a collectivist culture like this, family names and family heritage meant a great deal, and loyalty to one’s family or clan was a high value. Loyalty was strongest among one’s immediate family (though that included far more people than we would today), next strongest among the clan, present but still less strong among tribes, and the pattern continues as you draw the circle wider.

When we come to this list of names, we’re meant to be struck by such a great number of families coming together in unity for this shared task. These people didn’t come together in a vacuum. I’m sure there were plenty of past hurts and tensions, ideological differences and even bad blood between some of these families. They all gave up time, resources, and even their own security to participate in building the wall. This is a miraculous picture of unity!

Chris has often said that one of the primary marks of revival and movement of the Spirit is unity among God’s people. We get a beautiful picture of this in Nehemiah. What opportunities has the Lord given you to participate in such Unity?

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 3:1-5 (day three)

“Next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.”

The people followed Nehemiah. He facilitated their skills, helping them channel their engineering, masonry, and stonework abilities to rebuild an entire city. But Nehemiah also followed the people. That is to say, Nehemiah responded to the hopes and desires already present in their hearts. These longings were not wishful thinking or flights of fancy, but deep yearnings long dormant from ancient times, passed down from generation to generation from the time of the exodus, full of the fervor of Moses’s preaching and the promises of the law. These were dreams – initiated by God – that would not die. It was these dreams, present in Nehemiah’s own heart too, that Nehemiah heard and followed.

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 3:1-5 (day two)

Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. V. 1

Never far from the minds of those working on these gates and the wall is there purpose, both as a structure and as a symbol. After each door, gate, or portion of the wall is completed they consecrated that section. To consecrate is to set aside as to make holy. It is to bless all those who will use it, and to ask for a blessing on the structure itself. They were under no illusion. This was holy work. Do you take your work that seriously? Maybe you think your job is not that significant in the Kingdom. You may not be rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, but there are people around you that are counting on you to model a life lived in service the Jesus. Try to reframe your life as one which is building the Kingdom whether at home, in the office, or wherever you may be.

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 2:11-20 (day seven)

So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. vs 11

So I came to Los Angeles and have been here three days. In a month of bustling ministry, even my days have felt off. From Impact Camp to VBS to Mission Choir Tour, our student ministry has not stopped. Being two hours behind does not help either, so I apologize for the tardiness of this post. However, in my time here so far I have seen God doing some really cool things.

Maybe not quite to the level of Jerusalem, but Southern California was once the center of revival and the Jesus Revolution. When we hear on the news and through political discourse, it would appear that SoCal is no longer a hub for Christian influence. Walking Rodeo Drive and serving in soup kitchens has given us a glimpse at the brokenness of the city from the top of the socioeconomic food chain to the bottom. I would agree that this city is broken and in need of the Lord.

Yet, in the midst of it all, we have come across some people of peace who are walking with the Lord and trying to put together the pieces of the brokenness and heal the city through the Love of Jesus Christ. Places like the Dream Center, the Salvation Army, and the St Francis Center have revived hope in my mind and shown me that the Lord is doing amazing things in this city. Will you pray for us as we continue to serve here? Will you pray that God might use you to heal the brokenness in your own neighborhood and city?

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 2:11-20 (day six)

As far as we know, Nehemiah never received a direct word from God instructing him to journey to Jerusalem and lead the rebuilding effort. But he knew God’s promises. And he certainly knew the story of Queen Esther.

During four months of fasting and praying, it may have dawned on him, just as it did for Esther (with Mordecai’s help), that perhaps God had placed him in his position for such a time as this. His kingdom prayer gave way to kingdom action.

That makes me wonder:

Are my actions limited by the scope of my prayers?

What might God do in and through us if we believed His promises like Nehemiah did—and boldly widened the reach of our prayers?

Will you join me?

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 2:11-20 (day five)

In chapter 2, Nehemiah makes a thorough and comprehensive inspection of Jerusalem. He then gives a startling and honest review and evaluation. Both the destruction and the negligence are a part of what he has observed and reports. Yet, with the reality of a decimated city, Nehemiah also shares the potential and possibilities of rebuilding.

In the same way, (with the presence, guidance, and grace of the Holy Spirit) we must make the same kind of review and inspection of our hearts and lives. Like Nehemiah, God will allow us to see the full and accurate status of our lives. He then leads us and joins us in the renewal and rebuilding process. Spiritual growth and progress is a “we” endeavor. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians‬ ‭2‬

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139‬

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 2:11-20 (day four)

This scene reminds me of the news coverage of the California wildfires earlier this year. After the fires tore through a neighborhood, news footage would show residents of that community returning to their homes and surveying the damage. From our living room, we witnessed people realize for the first time just how much they’d lost, how vulnerable they were, and how much work there was in front of them. It is a raw and vulnerable thing to assess the damage of something you love, or a place that was taken away from you.

Nehemiah could have assessed that damage, which was probably far worse than he expected, and walked away determining it to be a total loss. But God had given him a yearning to rebuild the wall, a blessing for his journey, and the resources he needed to complete the task. While we might determine something to be a total loss, God makes a different assessment. What in your life have you determined to be a total loss that God is leading you to reassess?

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 2:11-20 (day three)

“I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem.”

When you hear someone say to you that “God has laid it on my heart” to do some action, or that “the Lord is leading me” towards this or that, or that “I’ve prayed and I’m being directed” towards a certain decision, how do you feel about your freedom to disagree? “The Lord led me” is something that is often hard to counter. That’s why it can be used to gain power over someone’s reasoning or better judgement. If you disagree, it’s as if you’re fighting against God. Nehemiah eschewed such tactics. He displayed his integrity as a leader at every turn. He could well have said “follow me because the Lord is with me.” Instead, he let his actions do the talking.

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 2:11-20 (day two)  

I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. ¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”  v. 18-19

Same message, different responses. Jesus told his disciples that the message of hope and truth would be received by some and rejected by others. His parable of the Good Earth is a classic example of how different hearts accept or reject God’s offer of peace. It shouldn’t surprise you, then, when you hear a clear directive from the Lord and others don’t fall in step. It must be a bit disconcerting when you know you are walking in step with the Lord and others don’t want to follow. We can follow Nehemiah’s example. He eventually shared with others what the Lord had placed on his heart and moved in that direction regardless of how others reacted. Some will get it, and some will reject it. We are responsible for our own hearts.