Nehemiah's Prayer Model

Nehemiah was among the Jews who had chosen to stay back at the land of their captivity. The city of Susan was the seat of power in Babylon and Nehemiah had an important job in the palace, a personal assistant of the king. He was probably born in captivity but had been apparently brought up to remember his Jewish heritage and to worship Yahweh. Though living in luxury, in the winter palace of the Persian kings, Nehemiah’s heart was keenly sensitive to all that affected his people. One day a friend who had from Jerusalem who told Nehemiah that the people who had returned from captivity were in great distress. The walls of the city were all in a poor state of repair and the city gate was burnt out.

The moment he received the bad news, Nehemiah knew he had to do something about it and he turned the God of Israel for counsel and guidance.  His prayer is very beautiful, saturated as it is with quotations from Scripture, and so effective with God because it’s base was His own Word. It was steeped in tears of contrition for sin and offered without ceasing day and night. Among all the prayer warriors in the Bible and their prayers, Nehemiah’s has a special place. There are a dozen of his prayers recorded in the book of 13 chapters. This study will list those prayers and comment on them and analyze them.

1) Nehemiah 1:4-11 When he heard this, he sat down and cried, mourning for a number of days and fasted and prayed in the presence of the God of Heaven. He recognized God’s holiness; confessed who He is and what He had done for him and his ancestors. He confessed his sin and his ancestors; asked for specific help in approaching the king. Thus he included God in His plans and concerns right from the start.

2) Nehemiah 2:4  He prayed for the king’s approval for his travel plans. "And now, Lord, I ask you to listen to the prayer of your servant—and to the prayers of your servants who delight in revering your Name. I ask you, please prosper your servant today by granting him to receive favor from this man.” Nehemiah I was the king's senior security advisor. As he was discussing his travel plans with the king, he continued to pray in his heart asking God for help, placing the matter at God’s hands. Prayer for Nehemiah is not just an activity, but an attitude. The king granted him permission and promised the necessary help. Giving God credit for what happens before it happens keeps us from taking more credit than we should.

3) Nehemiah 4:4, 5 As he was taunted and ridiculed by Tobia and Sanballat, enemies of the living God who didn’t want the walls built, Nehemiah prayed, "Listen, our God, because we are being mocked. Let their insults fall back on them, and let them be dragged away as captives into exile.   Don't atone their iniquity, and don't let their sin be blotted out from before you, because they have demoralized the builders." Nehemiah was angry at the men’s interference, but he expressed his anger to God. He did not take matters in his own hands. Today we  usually take things into our own hands when confronted by enmity and fail to tell God how we feel.

4) Nehemiah 4:9  In time of hostility, our friends and allies are apt to grow discouraged and to advise the suspension of our mission. ‘’It is not possible to go ahead under the present circumstances” is the usual excuse, but faith looks to God alone and triumphantly holds on its way.

As taunts and ridicules turned into threats and actual attacks, Nehemiah turned to God for counseling. He showed trust in God even while taking necessary precautions. “We are in your hands, God. We’ll keep our weapons handy in case you want us to use them” he submitted.  There was no need to resort to retaliation at any time. Trusting God does not mean we do nothing. The action does not mean we do not trust.

5) Nehemiah 6:9 Responding to threats, Nehemiah prayed,  “O Lord God, please strengthen me!” His prayers showed Nehemiah’s reliance on God for emotional stability. Very often Satan tries to call us off from our work for God! He cannot endure seeing us engaged so eagerly in our Master’s business and lays various obstacles and delivers many threats.  Amid all these we have but one duty to perform. We must lose ourselves in our work. Our only response is to be, “I am doing a great job, I cannot come down now; why should the work cease?” If we will see to God’s business, He will see to our safety. It is very important that we ask God for help when under pressure.

6) Nehemiah 13:29 ‘’Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the descendants of Levi”. Reflecting on the actions of his enemies Nehemiah asked God to deal with the enemies and their evil plans and God took away the compulsion to get revenge. He entrusted justice to God.

7) Nehemiah 8:17—9:38  Nehemiah had completed an enormous task of building the wall in 52 days, but he had more work to do. The spiritual situation of the remnant was in a deplorable condition. They had to be segregated from non-Jews, from being polluted by those around them. The wall around the city had given Jerusalem beauty and power and the possibility to the Jews to separate themselves from the Gentiles. For the first time from the days of Joshua, they celebrated the Festival of Tents, under the supervision of Ezra who was a priest. Besides the above, there are four “Remember me” prayers with specific motives—why God should remember him—mentioned  by Nehemiah:

8) Nehemiah 5:19   "Remember me with favor, my God, for everything I've done for these people."  

9) Nehemiah  13:14  Remember me, my God, concerning this, and do not erase my faithful deeds that I have undertaken for the Temple of my God, and for its services.

10) Nehemiah 13:22 Remember me, my God, and show mercy to me according to the greatness of your gracious love.

11) Nehemiah 13:29-31 Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the descendants of Levi. I purified them from everything foreign, arranged duties for the priests and the descendants of Levi, each to his task, and I arranged at the appointed time for the supply of wood, and for the first fruits. Remember me, my God, with favor. The final one reflects on the actions of his enemies and asks God to deal with the enemies and their evil plans. He does away with the compulsion to get revenge, and entrusted justice to God.

12) Nehemiah 9-38 Not just among Nehemiah’s prayers, but among the hundreds of prayers of men and women recorded in the scripture, this prayer deserves a special place. It is also the longest prayer recorded.

It was a blessed result of the week-long Bible study of the previous chapter. It led to confession, separation from evil association and worship. The history of God’s dealings with Israel is an epitome of His dealings with us. In the midst of God’s best gifts, we are likely to break into sin; yet He still gives us His good spirit, and withholds not the manna which He promised. See Nehemiah 1:20.

The theme of this prayer is the covenant mercy of God. However great the provocation of the Chosen People, He never swerved from His ancient promise to their fathers. He testified against them by His Spirit and chastened them for their sins when they went astray. The prayer reflects our own lives, and how often have all these experiences been repeated in us! Fortunately for us, we are represented now, not by our promises and prayers, but by Jesus Christ, in whom we stand and are accepted and kept.

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