Purposeful Prayer and Fasting

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭‬‬

“And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭‬‬

Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem. He was communicating about the remnant in Israel, who were “distressed, disgraced and unprotected “because the wall was broken and gates were burned down. This caused Nehemiah sadness and he wept, mourned, and fasted. He stood in the gap repenting And reminding God of the former promises. Nehemiah was a cut bearer to the king, and he took notice of Nehemiah’s sadness. Nehemiah requested permission to rebuild the wall and favor for provision of the supplies and he was Grant granted this request.

Nehemiah knew both the curse and the blessing contained in Leviticus 26:33 and Deuteronomy 30:2-5.

“I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.” ‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭33‬ ‭‬‬

“and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.”‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭‬‬

Nehemiah was a contemporary of Ezra, and the book of Nehemiah may have actually been written by Ezra. Nehemiah had close proximity to the king and was given favor by God, like Esther for such a time as this.. He was also filled with compassion, knowing the city was at risk, even though they had been allowed to return and had rebuilt the temple. (See Ezra 6).

Ezra‘s call might have felt small as a cupbearer. God placed him where he was and gave him favor with the king. He was able to not only have a position where the king noticed him, but also where the king gave an ear to his request and sent him in favor, knowing he could trust Nehemiah to return when he said he would. There was divine purpose to it all.

From Nehemiah, I can see the importance of always serving with excellence and paying attention to what grieves your heart. He was moved to fast and pray, and mourn for Jerusalem as he thought about the distress, reproach, and danger that Jerusalem‘s people were facing. I think Nehemiah also shows the importance of prayer and fasting in one’s calling, as well as knowing the word of God as Nehemiah prayed out two different passages as he stood in the gap for his people. He shows the importance of praying for a nation and standing in that gap humbly. He also shows that God can open doors that no one can close as is indicated in the rest of the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah prayed each step of the process. He was confident in making a bolder request when the opportunity arose.

As it applies to my calling from God, I see a direct correlation with prayer and fasting, and being concerned about my nation. I think I also need to pay closer attention to the things that my heart grieves over and not overlook or discount my contacts.

Lord, I know I may never sit before Kings or have influence on people of authority. I have recognized where You have placed me. Help me to allow You to place purpose and passion in my heart and for me to press in with prayer and fasting. Help me to take action. I am sorry for the times I have fallen short. Help me where I need to be in times of past callings.