God's Attentive Ear

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." Now I was cupbearer to the king.  - Nehemiah 1:11

The book of Nehemiah is one of my favorites. In a nutshell, Nehemiah is serving the king Artaxerxes as a cupbearer as an exile. He gets word that the walls of Jerusalem are in shambles, and his heart breaks not only for the city, but for God’s people who are suffering. He eventually goes before the pagan king, who notices he is sad and asks why. Nehemiah is terrified because he knows he could be killed for just looking sad in front of the king. But God has other plans. Nehemiah asks to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls, and the king grants it. Artaxerxes not only permits him to go, but he also funds the efforts. The story unfolds with Nehemiah returning, examining the walls, and then rallying God’s people to rebuild the walls, despite heckling and criticism from others.

Nehemiah is a great book, and I encourage you to read through it. We can learn so much from the way Nehemiah went about rebuilding the city. I left one really important detail out of my summary. Nehemiah was up against impossible odds. He was miles away from Jerusalem as an exile to a pagan king. The city walls were destroyed so badly that it did not seem as though they could be repaired. The cost was insurmountable to even attempt a repair. And the people in Jerusalem were hopeless as well. Knowing all of this, Nehemiah did not run to his drawing board or make a list of items that needed to be done. He first prayed.
 
As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4

Nehemiah knew that the task at hand was too big for him. That is why he turned to the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, and he fasted and prayed for God’s provision, protection, and power.
 
Church, we are in a similar spot, although not nearly as big a task as the walls of Jerusalem. God has been kind to us in providing our building, but we have a ways to go before we can use it fully. We need to raise an estimated $500,000 to cover all of the renovations. Before we go and try to solve this seemingly monumental task, let us follow Nehemiah’s example. Let us fast and pray.

For the month of May, the elders ask that you join us in praying daily and picking at least one day to fast and pray for God’s provision and direction. (You can sign up below.) The goal is not to show God how disciplined we are but to seek God’s face and will. May this be a time where God reveals to each of us how we can commit to His kingdom for the glory of His name and our good. I believe that the supplying of funds will be the least of the blessings God has. I believe the greatest blessing will be a greater comfort in the surrender to the God who owns it all.