Nehemiah 1-2

Nehemiah is a Jew who served as the royal cupbearer under King Artaxerxes. Upon receiving word from his brother about the state of Jerusalem, Nehemiah wept and mourned. His mourning turned to fasting and prayer before the Lord. He prayed God’s promises back to him and gave his request to God. While before the king, Nehemiah shares his request and it is granted, which is to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. After giving a firm timeline and asking for the necessary documents, he arrives in Jerusalem. After surveying the walls, Nehemiah tells the people his plan and they immediately went to work. Although, this was not without opposition.

In the opening chapter, Nehemiah’s prayer is one we can all learn from. Like Daniel and others, Nehemiah confessed not only his sins, but the sins of the entire nation. And in the midst of his prayer, Nehemiah showed his knowledge of God’s Word by praying his promises back to him. He asked the Lord to be faithful to his promises and centered his prayer around that. That is how we need to pray. We must know Scripture and God’s promises so we can pray according to them.

Do your prayers include God’s promises?