Prayer and Planning

Even just hearing this first chapter and a half, we're beginning to understand what makes Nehemiah such a great book.

He's a fascinating figure, and we get wonderful personal insights into his life.

And in so many ways, we are seeing the glory and the greatness of our God.

It's a wonderful book.

It's part the memoirs of Nehemiah himself.

We get that sense that we're reading the private diary of a man of God as he is tasked with rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.

So he's going to do that physically, but also morally and spiritually.

The name Nehemiah means God will comfort.

And God has comforted his people, offering them hope and restoration in giving them this leader, Nehemiah.

So it's part memoirs.

It's also part prayer diary.

As we spend a few weeks in the book of Nehemiah, many times we will meet this man of God on his knees in prayer,

seeking God's glory and the good of his kingdom.

It's also, I think, these chapters are part of portrait gallery,

because we're going to meet various faces of Nehemiah along the way.

This man who's been raised up for the task of spiritual reformation,

we will see him in various roles with various responsibilities,

and all the time under the rule and guidance of God.

Maybe it's helpful to ask, why are we studying it together?

So this book, it dates from 445 BC.

So it's pretty ancient.

And we might find ourselves wondering,

why are we studying this ancient book about the rebuilding of an ancient city?

Well, at one level, at the local level,

the answer is that since, I guess since January,

as church elders, leaders here,

we've been praying about, we've been thinking through,

we've been reflecting on and working towards a development plan.

Seeking the ongoing renewal of God here within Becclew,

seeking a vision for coming years.

And there's so many helpful things for us as leaders,

but so many things for all of us that we can learn together in this wonderful book.

But more broadly, what will Nehemiah help us to learn together?

Let's look out for four things as we go week by week through this book.

First of all, I think Nehemiah will teach us to pray.

And as the church, we always need this.

So we hear him worship.

We hear him confess sin.

We hear him asking God for help.

We hear him pray for the ongoing renewal of the kingdom of God.

So the church needs to be a praying people.

The book of Nehemiah also teaches us the importance of contending for the gospel.

It reminds us, like so many books of the Bible, that opposition is normal.

We met some opposition at the end of our reading, chapter 2, verse 10.

But as we go through the weeks, we'll come to see that the battles that Nehemiah faces,

sometimes they're external, sometimes also they're internal.

And the book of Nehemiah reminds us to expect opposition and trouble

and to be ready and willing to contend for the cause of the Lord Jesus.

And as we do so, to put our trust in God himself.

To understand that we have a God who is totally committed to his glory

and to his people and to the good of his kingdom.

Another thing that becomes apparent as we look at the book of Nehemiah

is he teaches us that the preaching of God's word

is central to the life of God's people.

The high point of this book is literally a high point.

In chapter 8, we are going to meet Ezra.

And he's going to proclaim God's word.

And he's going to explain God's word from a high platform.

And that in itself reminds us that as the people of God,

we always need to be hearing and to be receiving God's word read and preached.

And one other thing I think we can be looking out for in the story of Nehemiah,

and we'll see it a lot next week.

The book teaches us that renewal,

the ongoing renewal of God's kingdom,

its shared responsibility.

This is very much an all-hands-on-deck kind of a book.

We get to see a lot of Nehemiah, this great servant leader,

but we're also going to hear about the responsibility of all God's people.

This is a book where the church is seen as a body

working together, struggling together for the glory of God

and the progress of the kingdom.

So we can watch out for those highlights as we go through the next few weeks.

But here we are, chapter 1, verse 1, to chapter 2, verse 10.

Three things for us to see.

First of all, the problem facing Nehemiah.

Look at the first four verses,

and we discover that Nehemiah here in Susa,

so he's in Iran at the moment,

and he hears a report about the Jewish remnant who've survived the exile.

And what's he told?

Those who survived the exile are back in the province.

They're in great trouble and disgrace.

The wall is broken down,

and Jerusalem gates have been burned with fire.

The British prime minister at the outbreak of World War II

was a chap called Neville Chamberlain.

And Neville Chamberlain had a small pocket diary,

which a few years ago went on display to the public.

Look, the day that Britain entered World War II

was the 3rd of September, 1939.

And on that day, we have a diary entry from Neville Chamberlain.

Do you know what he wrote?

He wrote, war declared.

And that was it.

This huge moment for the nation,

this huge moment for the world,

we get the fact, but we don't get any insight into,

what did Chamberlain feel at that moment?

What emotions was he going through?

Contrast that with verse 4,

with Nehemiah's private diary.

When I heard these things,

I sat down and wept.

For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed

before the God of heaven.

He discovers the trouble facing Jerusalem,

facing the people of God,

and he is deeply affected.

So let's ask ourselves briefly, why?

Why is he affected?

What's the problem?

Well, at a practical level, as we've just heard,

the survivors of the exile,

who maybe about 15 years or 20 years ago,

at the time of Ezra,

had been sent back from Persia to Jerusalem,

they're living in times of great trouble.

There's also the remnant who survived the exile,

the weak and the unimportant people,

and they are part of this disgrace

that's being felt within the city.

The city is in ruins.

The walls and the gates are broken down,

and they're on fire.

There's no security.

There's no stability.

There's no sense of honor.

We will recognize that they are being exposed

to their enemies,

and they're being exposed to mockery.

So that's what Nehemiah hears about.

But in his thinking, he's going deeper,

because he understands that beyond the physical,

there's also a spiritual problem here.

Nehemiah is someone who has a deep concern

for God's people and for God's glory.

God's people here are in a low state,

a place of weakness.

Remember, Jerusalem is the city that represents

the rule of God,

the presence of God,

the glory of God on this earth.

So when it's in ruins,

God's reputation stands somewhat in ruins.

It is significant that God's kingdom

is in a weak state.

It is a cause of deep distress

that while Ezra was sent back

with that task of restoring the walls

and the temple,

that building project has now been halted.

It has stalled because of enemies

and because of the royal decree from Persia.

So we meet in the first instance,

Nehemiah,

as a true servant leader of God.

And he is deeply moved

by the state of the church.

And remember where he is right now.

He's not there in Jerusalem among the ruins.

He's in Iran.

He's in a palace.

He's in a place of honor

and comfort and security.

And he could easily have said,

that's not my problem.

But he loves his God

and he loves God's church.

He knows that God is glorious

and he longs for that glory

to be on display in the world.

He feels it deep within his guts

that God is dishonored.

And so this sacrificial servant,

he weeps

and then he works.

And as we'll see,

the first work he does is to pray.

Now right at the outset,

I want to ask ourselves

a question this morning,

perhaps a question to reflect on

through the day,

through this week.

What is it that I am most passionate about?

Now if you're a Christian here today,

you know as I know instinctively

what the answer should be.

But what is the evidence of our lives?

Or to put it slightly differently,

how do we feel

about the low state of the church

in our nation?

As Keith was leading us in prayer.

As we think about the situation

in our city or in our church,

that the progress seems slow,

that God's honor is held in low regard.

Do we feel it?

Sometimes I think it's all too easy,

again,

to go back to that idea of idolatry.

Sometimes we can find it really easy

to be most passionate

about our own comfort, perhaps.

Or our own success,

whether that be in our career

or in our studies

or even thinking for our children.

We might even put our sports team

ahead of the glory of God

and the advance of His kingdom.

To look at Nehemiah's posture,

weeping, fasting, praying,

reveals his passion,

the glory of God

and the cause of the gospel.

He hears the report

and it's as if he can sense

that the smoking walls

and the city in ruins

and what that represents

about God's honor

and that brings him to his knees.

Let me ask each one of us individually

and for us as a church

about our posture

and about our passion.

So we sit here in Edinburgh

and it's very different, isn't it?

There's no smoking ruins.

In fact, we live in a wonderfully

beautiful city,

a great city.

We came back from holiday

and the cherry blossoms are there

and the meadows,

the sun's shut.

It's a wonderful city.

Visitors flock

and don't want to leave.

But let me ask,

can we see beneath the surface?

To recognize that for the people

who live here,

that without Jesus,

their lives in this city

is spiritual ruin and rubble.

Do we recognize

that there are many people around us

and they are hurting

and they are confused,

they're troubled,

they're heading for a lost eternity,

many of them without even realizing it?

Will we pray?

Do we pray?

To the God who sees,

who knows,

who cares.

To the God who is powerful

and to the God

who is passionate

about His glory

and about salvation.

So that's the problem

that we see.

Second thing we hear

is the prayer

of Nehemiah.

So we said Nehemiah

is like a portrait gallery.

Nehemiah is a man

of many faces.

We will see him

often as a leader.

Sometimes we'll see him

inspecting and exploring.

Sometimes we'll see him

engaged in buildings.

Sometimes we'll see him

helping the poor.

But it's so significant

that our first portrait

is of Nehemiah,

the man of prayer.

You search church history

and you will discover

that those who are most passionate

for God's glory,

those who are most used

in God's kingdom,

will be those who are

most passionately committed

to seeking God's help

and seeking God's honor

in prayer.

And so we have the privilege

this morning

of taking a page

from Nehemiah's

personal prayer diary.

And what do we discover

in this page?

We discover here is a man

of God who knows his God.

And he knows his Bible.

And he knows God's promises.

And he appreciates

that he lives under

God's providence.

And all of that is here

in his prayer.

And so as we spend

just a few minutes

looking at this prayer,

my prayer for us would be

that Nehemiah

would be teaching us

in our day

how to pray also.

So we begin there

at verse 5

and we come to see

that we pray

in part

to worship

our God.

We don't rush in

with our shopping list.

We give God glory.

Look at how

Nehemiah begins.

Lord, the God of heaven,

the great and awesome God

who keeps his covenant

of love with those

who love him

and keep his commandments.

It's good to remember

who we pray to.

The God who made

everything that we see.

The God who is great

and awesome

but the God who is also

loving

and keeps his covenant

and enters into

personal covenant

relationship

with his people.

And so we see

that we have

this privilege.

We're invited

into a personal

relationship

with the powerful

God of the universe.

That's a great motivator

for prayer, I think.

And what we see

from Nehemiah's prayer

is this reminder

that God is both

awesome

and he's approachable.

That he is both

a God to be feared

and honored

and a God

who is faithful.

And wonderfully

we know through Jesus

we're invited

to call this God

our Father in heaven.

To know that as his people

we are never denied access.

To know that when we pray

we come to the one

with all resources

for whom nothing

is impossible.

So we praise God

that we get to pray.

We pray to worship.

But we also pray

to confess our sin.

That's there, isn't it?

In verses 6 and 7.

I confess the sins

we Israelites

including myself

and my father's family

have committed against you.

And again, notice this.

There is no hint

of those guys over there.

They're the problem.

There's the people

over in Jerusalem.

It's we.

There's that shared sense

of guilt over sin.

Nehemiah's family

because they're part

of that society.

He recognized

they're part of the problem.

And the problem

there in verse 7

we have acted

very wickedly

towards you.

We have not obeyed

the commands, decrees

and laws you gave

your servant Moses.

He confesses disobedience.

He confesses

dishonoring God.

He understands

that by breaking

God's law

the people of God

they're causing damage

to God's honor.

They're causing damage

to the work

of God's kingdom.

And so he confesses sin.

He's just worshipped

and recognized

how awesome God is.

And when we rightly view

God's awesome holiness

isn't that so often

when we become

so aware of our own sin

and guilt

and awfulness.

That the holiness

of God

rightly seen

so often exposes

our own hypocrisy.

That huge gap

that can exist

between

here are the truths

that I believe

but here's the life

that I'm practicing.

That's one of the reasons

why it's so important

for us every week

as we worship

to confess our sin

together.

To acknowledge

that we are all guilty

before God

that we all stand

in need of His grace

and forgiveness

and there is grace

and forgiveness

to be found

in the gospel.

So we pray to worship

we pray to confess sin

and Nehemiah also shows us

that we pray

to claim God's promises

to claim God's promised help.

That's there in verses

8 to 10.

Look at how he begins

remember the instruction

you gave your servant Moses

and then he takes

his prayer towards

that key text

of Deuteronomy chapter 30

Deuteronomy 30:1–5

verses 1 to 5

where God makes the promise

that when His people

even if they've walked

so far away from His ways

if they will return

then God will restore

God will have compassion

God will bring His people

back to Himself.

And as Nehemiah prays

he remembers Scripture

and he knows

these are God's own words.

This is God's covenant commitment.

And so Nehemiah takes God

at His word

and he claims

the promise of God

found in the Bible.

And it's the same

in verse 10.

They are your servants

and your people

whom you redeemed

by your great strength

and your mighty hand.

So part of God's covenant faithfulness

was in His great act of rescue.

We might think of the story

of the Exodus

or we might think of

the return of the exiles.

And so Nehemiah puts before God

his own covenant commitment

and he trusts

that God will be faithful

to His character

and to His word

even though

His people have been unfaithful.

He trusts in a God

who will be faithful

to His promise

and to His people

through thick and thin.

Now a couple of observations

as we seek with God's help

that Nehemiah would encourage us

in prayer.

First is this.

Remember the power

of praying

together.

Look at verse 11.

We could easily miss this.

Lord, let your ear

be attentive

to the prayer

of this your servant.

Okay, we get that.

And to the prayer

of your servants

who delight

in revering your name.

What are we being told?

Nehemiah is praying

with other people.

There are others

who are committed

day by day

maybe even hour by hour

to God's kingdom

to God's glory

to God's will.

And there's a power

in that.

There's a goodness

to that.

As a local church

we must do

the Lord's work

and we must do it

in the Lord's way.

And how do we do

the work of God

together?

Fundamentally

as we pray.

We must be

praying together.

Plans,

strategies

absolutely are

so important

and we'll see it

but without prayer

we're missing

the key component.

Now the great example

I think in the Bible

of the church of God

praying together

is the book of Acts.

It has been said

that the early church

in the chapters

of Acts

it sounds just like

an extended prayer meeting.

Whatever is going on,

whatever God is working,

whatever need

is required,

the people are praying.

So if we're here today

and we feel perhaps

sad

or dissatisfied

or discouraged

about what's going on

in the world

or about the state

of the church

in Scotland

or if you're concerned

for your local church

here,

if there are people

on your heart

and you're hungry

for them to know

life with God,

to know the love

of God,

this is where we start

and we never shift

from this,

we must devote

ourselves

to praying together.

There is power

in that

and just as a sidebar,

just to remind us,

we pray

as a church

every Sunday

at 5pm

through there

and we pray

on a Wednesday

at lunchtime online

and we pray

on Wednesdays.

Matters.

So remember

the power

of praying together.

Secondly,

to find encouragement

from Nehemiah,

remember

who we pray

to.

Remember

that we pray

to a powerful

loving father

who loves

to hear

his children

pray.

This is one

father

and you will

never find

a do not disturb

on his office

door.

Our father

in heaven

will never

shush us

because he's

busy doing

something else.

Remember

that we are

praying to a

God

who is far

more committed

to his glory

and to his

kingdom

than you and I

will ever be.

He has

redeemed us

by way of

sending his son

Jesus to die

on the cross

for us

and then he's

raised them up

on the third day.

He will not

let that be

for nothing.

He is

committed

to building

his church.

And remember

that we pray

to the great

God who has

made great

promises.

We get so

many promises

and we know

that we hold

on to them

lightly.

We receive

so many

offers,

so many

emails and

we wonder

is this a

scam,

this sounds

too good

to be true.

That is

never the

case with

God's promises

in his word

and by faith

we are

invited to

claim them.

So we need

to know

God's word

and to pray

God's word

as we claim

those promises

and as we

come to

know the

God of glory

who will

build his

church,

who must

be faithful

to his

covenant,

for whom

nothing is

impossible,

then we have

the motivation

to pray

and to keep

praying.

So that's the

second thing.

So we've seen

the problem,

we've heard

the prayer,

now we

recognize in

those first

verses of

chapter 2

the planning

of Nehemiah.

It was a

president of

the United

States,

Benjamin Franklin,

who was

credited with

saying,

if you fail

to plan,

you plan

to fail.

If you spend

any time in

business or

management circles,

you will know

all about,

I am sure,

planning and

development and

it makes sense,

it makes sense

at a personal

level.

We have to

plan for

our meals,

we have to

plan as

pupils,

and as

students if

we're revising

for exams,

we have to

plan our

time to

make room

for exercise

perhaps or

family devotions,

and we need

to plan for

life within a

local church.

Nehemiah is

both a great

man of prayer

and a great

planner too.

And one

aspect of

planning that

I want us

to really see

from Nehemiah

is that it's

one thing to

make a plan,

maybe that's

quite easy.

What we see

from Nehemiah

is the

courage

required to

carry out

a plan.

Think about

that at

sort of a

personal level.

You know,

you want to

apply for

a new job,

that requires

a certain

amount of

courage,

because on

the one hand

you may be

rejected,

but on the

other hand

you may be

successful and

you have to

meet a whole

new load of

people,

learn a whole

new load of

skills.

Maybe you have

the good desire

to get

married,

and again

that's going

to take

courage,

it's going

to take

courage to

ask someone

out,

because again

you may

meet with

rejection.

Or you

want a

friend to

know Jesus,

there's courage

involved in

that too,

to invite

them along

to church

or to

open the

Bible with

them or

to talk

to them

about your

faith,

because again

there is

the prospect

that that

relationship

changes and

a person

might not

show any

interest.

the Nehemiah

we meet in

chapter 1 and

chapter 2 is

an example to

us both of

careful planning

but also of

courageous faith

as he puts

plans into

action.

But let's

first of all

really quickly

see the

careful planning.

Now I'm

going to

presume that

most of us

are not

familiar with

the Jewish

calendar system,

so we might

not notice,

I wouldn't

have noticed,

that the

difference

between

chapter 1

verse 1,

the date

there,

and chapter

2 verse 1

is four

months.

For four

months Nehemiah

has been

praying for

God's glory

and God's

kingdom,

but Nehemiah

at the same

time has

also been

planning.

And so as

we open this

page of his

diary we see

the advanced

planning that

has gone

into this.

So as he

stands before

the king

and as the

king asks him

the question,

Nehemiah,

what is it

that you

want?

You clearly

have something

on your

mind.

We hear

again Nehemiah

praying to the

God of heaven,

that's his

instinct,

but then we

see him put

his plans

into place.

So it

begins with

Nehemiah

requesting that

he be sent to

Jerusalem to

head up this

rebuilding project

and he already

has in mind how

long he thinks

that's going to

take.

And so he

makes that

request.

And then if

you look at

verse 7,

he asks for

some letters.

He wants

letters to

guarantee him

safe conduct

as he journeys

through the

kingdom.

He wants to

go with

official royal

permission.

And then look

at verse 8,

he's really

pushing things

now.

He asks for

another letter,

this time a

letter for the

man in charge of

the royal forest.

He wants a

work order to

be sent so the

king will

provide the

timber and

the building

materials at

the king's

own expense.

And then in

verse 9 and

10, we see

the planning

involved in

that Nehemiah

wants to go

with an army.

He wants to

make a clear

signal to the

enemies of

God.

He is coming

at the king's

command and

that God is

with him in

all of this.

So there is

careful planning,

but there is

also courageous

faith going on.

This week I

came across a

definition of

courage by a

guy called

Joseph Piper.

A helpful

definition.

I think courage

is the act of

risking suffering

for the sake of

the good.

Risking suffering

for the sake of

the good.

Again, think

about it.

If we believe

an action will

bring God

glory.

If we think

that applying

for that job

will bring God

glory or seeking

that new

relationship or

talking to a

friend about

Jesus, then we

risk suffering,

someone saying

no perhaps, for

the sake of the

greater good, that

God would be

glorified.

Nehemiah shows us

the life of faith

is a life of

courage that's

committed to the

glory of God and

is willing to

suffer.

And it all

starts with his

willingness to go.

So again, just

to remember, he's

not in Jerusalem.

He's living in a

very affluent, very

comfortable, very

secure city here in

Susa in the heart

of the Persian

empire.

But he is willing

to leave behind the

comfort of the

palace for the sake

of the greater good,

God's kingdom.

He runs so many

risks as he

presents his plan

to the king.

To leave his

important job behind,

to ask for a huge

amount of resources

from the king,

even to look sad

in the king's

presence.

But he risks it

for the sake of

the good.

We know

Nehemiah is a

man of faith.

He understands,

for example,

chapter 2,

verse 8,

the gracious hand

of his God

was with him

in granting him

success.

We hear it in

his prayers.

prayers.

And he is

willing to pray

and to plan

and to act,

not knowing how

things are going

to turn out.

But he knows

God is on the

throne,

not at the end

of the day,

this man,

Arctic Xerxes.

And so he acts

with courageous

faith.

And I wonder

if there is a

pattern there

for us to

follow.

To be ready

to pray,

to be ready

to make plans,

and then to have

the courage to put

plans into action

for the glory of

God,

even when we

don't know how

things will turn

out.

You'll think

about that

in our own

context here.

We never

know when

we pray.

Will God

use us

to be the

answer to

those prayers?

We don't

know.

Will God

be pleased

to use us

individually

or collectively

to advance

the gospel

in some way?

We don't

know in

God's wisdom

will Beclood

be used

for future

generations

to reach

this city

with the

good news

of Jesus.

But we

seek to

act in

courageous

faith.

We pray,

we plan,

and we act

on the plan.

So as a

church,

we've been

encouraged to

pray for

ten people

who don't

know and

love Jesus.

Part of

that praying

may likely

involve us

then having

to act,

to be ready

to love

them,

to serve

them,

to speak

to them,

to ask

their questions

and to seek

to answer

them.

Many of

us,

we pray

for new

families

in this

local community

to have

the chance

to hear

about Jesus

and to hear

about Jesus

through us

and through

our church.

So we pray

about that,

but we also

need to ask

God to guide

us and to

plan and to

think how

best can we

reach out

and welcome

people in.

We perhaps

find ourselves

praying about

a new

generation of

leaders within

the church.

That's a good

prayer.

But at the

same time,

we have to

make plans

today to

train,

to mentor,

to disciple

those God

has brought

to us and

will bring to

us in the

future.

And so the

life of

planning and

praying and

courageous faith

involves us

praying,

your kingdom

come,

your will be

done,

and it involves

us asking and

making plans.

What can I

do?

What can we

do for the

sake of God's

kingdom, for

the sake of

Jesus today,

this week,

this year?

And being

ready to act

with courage,

to risk

suffering for

the sake of

God's glory and

the spiritual

good of

others.

And so as we

begin to look at

the life of

Nehemiah,

the servant

leader,

there's a lot

that we can

learn, but

especially as

we look beyond

to the

greatest of

all servant

leaders, to

the Lord

Jesus Christ,

the sacrificial

servant, the

one who is

willing to leave

behind the

comfort of

his palace, to

leave behind the

glory of

heaven, to

come into

this world, to

carry out God's

great plan of

salvation.

And remember

Jesus, the

servant leader,

he too would

weep over

Jerusalem.

spiritually lost

and ruined.

Jesus is the

one who would

pray for his

father's glory

and his

father's glory

in the salvation

of sinners and

the building up

of God's

kingdom.

Jesus, who in

love will

suffer and die

for our

greatest good,

that we by

faith might be

brought into the

kingdom of God.

God.

He is the

leader we look

to and with

his help we

pray, we plan,

we act for

his glory, for

the glory of

God, for the

renewal and

spiritual reformation

that we seek here

and the clux here

in ourselves.

Thank you so much

that we have