Nehemiah’s Prayer (Nehemiah): When Nehemiah heard about the desperate needs of the people living in Jerusalem during the Exile, he was deeply moved. Someone had to do something! So he prayed, and he planned, and he prayed some more. And when the time was right, he launched his plan. It’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work! Recorded on Sep 13, 2026, on Nehemiah 1:1-2:10 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our series, Nehemiah: From Ruins to Revival. When Nehemiah heard about the desperate needs of the people living in Jerusalem during the Exile, he was deeply moved. Someone had to do something! Nehemiah’s story is what happens when wise and courageous leadership has a God-given burden to help. Nehemiah faced significant opposition and leadership challenges while mobilizing thousands of people to complete a major building project. But through it all, one thing was clear: It’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work!
Sermon Transcript
Our house wasn’t hit by the tornado at the end of July like some of you, but earlier this summer, we did have a storm that ripped a huge branch off one of the trees in our backyard. Actually, it wasn’t ripped all the way off; it was twisted and wound up leaning against another tree. So I called the tree service, and a few days later, they sent a crew of seven guys with four trucks, a skid steer with a giant claw, and the biggest woodchipper I had ever seen. And I am not exaggerating this at all; they had half a tree cut down, dragged the whole thing away, and then threw it all into the wood chipper. They were done in ten minutes and were fully gone in twenty. I couldn’t believe it! It was awesome to watch. I know there are people in the world who are lazy, and maybe another crew would’ve taken longer, but it’s amazing what can happen when people really get to work. We saw a lot of that after the tornado, too. Well, today, we’re starting a new sermon series from the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament called From Ruins to Revival. And the book of Nehemiah tells the story of when God’s people got to work. As we’ll see today, when Nehemiah heard about the condition of Jerusalem and its broken-down wall, while he was in exile in Persia, he was moved with compassion and then was moved into action, leading one of the greatest building projects in the Bible. But the rebuilding project went way beyond simply rebuilding the wall; the people were rebuilt as well. So Nehemiah, Ezra the priest, and others led the Israelites all the way from ruins to revival. Today, we’ll see the start of this amazing story. So if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Nehemiah 1:1, and we’ll unpack it as we go. Let’s jump in.
Nehemiah 1:1-4a (NIV), “1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.” The month of Kislev is roughly the month of November, and we’ll see that the 20th year mentioned here is the 20th year of the reign of King Artaxerxes, the king of Persia, which would make this the year 445 BC. At that time, the Kingdom of Persia was the greatest superpower in the world. The Persians had displaced the Babylonian Empire pretty quickly after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom you might remember from the book of Daniel. The Persians expanded the already great empire of the Babylonians and built an empire for themselves as the world had never seen, and Susa was the capital. It must have felt like the center of the world. But Nehemiah was one of the Jewish exiles who was living/working in Susa. If we look at a map, we can see that Susa, the capital of Persia, was almost a thousand miles from Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, a journey that would’ve taken months. Nehemiah was likely born in exile, but, as you can see, he was very far from his ancestral home. You might remember that about a year ago, we did a series on the book of Esther. Well, Esther was made queen in Susa 39 years earlier during the reign of King Xerxes, the father of the king during Nehemiah’s day, King Artaxerxes. We don’t know how old Nehemiah was here, but it’s very possible that he remembered Queen Esther, a fellow Israelite, in an almost unbelievable position of influence in the kingdom of Persia. In fact, she might’ve still been alive, even though King Xerxes had been murdered by the head of his bodyguard. But why were the Jewish people in exile to begin with? Well, let’s do a little Old Testament recap. In round numbers, God had promised Abraham and Sarah that he would make their family into a great nation around 2000 BC. This people became known as Israel but were enslaved in Egypt. So God called Moses around 1500 BC to lead his people to freedom in the Promised Land. During this time, God established a covenant, or relationship, with Israel that was based on the covenant law, or the law of Moses, which included the 10 Commandments. Israel prospered there, and by the year 1000 BC, King David was the greatest and most powerful king over the nation of Israel. But the people were not faithful to God or obedient to the covenant law. And even though God sent prophet after prophet to his people to call them to turn back to him, they continued to be unfaithful to him. So eventually, God raised up first the Assyrians, and then later, the Babylonians, to conquer Israel and then Judah, and to carry most of the people who weren’t killed into exile. The Babylonians conquered the city of Jerusalem and burned King Solomon’s Temple to the ground in 586 BC. The exile was by far the most traumatic experience in the history of the Jewish people, but it was one they brought on themselves. God had promised this would happen all the way back at Mount Sinai, but, maybe surprisingly, God did not abandon his people, even when they had largely abandoned him. He continued to send prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and more to his people before and during the exile. And God promised to bring his people back, restore them, and make a new covenant with them. And it was here, in Nehemiah’s day, about 500 years after the time of King David, that the people of God had started to return to the land that God promised them. This is why Nehemiah asked his brother about the condition of the people who survived the exile and the city of Jerusalem. But Hanani told him that the people there were “in great trouble and disgrace.” Why? Because “The wall of Jerusalem [was] broken down, and its gates [had] been burned with fire.” This was a major problem in their day. A city without a wall was a city without the ability to defend itself. They were open and vulnerable. For a people who had been through so much, this was not good. And we see that Nehemiah’s heart was broken over this. He sat down and wept. He was moved with compassion and the sense that this wasn’t right and needed to be fixed. But what could he do?
Nehemiah 1:4b-11 (NIV), “For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: “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, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ 10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.” So Nehemiah is obviously a man of great faith. He knew what God promised his people during the time of Moses. He knew that his people had not been faithful, and God rightly exiled them. But he also knew the character of God. He knew that God is a God of faithfulness, love, and mercy. He knew that God would forgive and would not hold their sin against them forever. He knew that God had rescued his people from captivity before, and he could do it again. So Nehemiah demonstrated his compassion by asking about those remaining in Jerusalem. Then, with his heart broken over what he heard, he sat down and wept, but then he fasted and prayed. He prayed a prayer of repentance and asked for forgiveness and favor in working to meet the needs of the people in Jerusalem. And then, at the end of chapter 1, we get a little detail that foreshadows what’s about to come in chapter 2. He said, “I was cupbearer to the king.” Now, this wasn’t a little task or an unimportant position. The cupbearer reported directly to the most powerful king in the most powerful kingdom on earth. And he was entrusted with great responsibility. For one thing, he was trusted to make sure Artaxerxes wasn’t poisoned by his enemies. But he also served as a trusted advisor. Nehemiah found himself, as a faithful man in a foreign country, in a position of power and influence similar to Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, or even Queen Ester before him. Despite the fact that he was in exile. Despite the fact that he served a pagan king of a brutal kingdom. God had positioned Nehemiah in order to accomplish a great purpose. And the rest of our series is all about what Nehemiah does about this great need in Jerusalem, how he does it, and what we can learn from it today.
Nehemiah 2:1-10 (NIV), “1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. 7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.” This is God’s word. Nehemiah says he had not been sad in the king’s presence before. But why? Well, one of the reasons might be that, of course, you wouldn’t want to do anything as the cupbearer to provoke the suspicion of the king. Or maybe he was just normally a very happy guy. But either way, the king knew Nehemiah and his personality, and he noticed that something was wrong. And I love the honesty of Nehemiah in his response. He says he was very much afraid, but he still told the king why he was upset. There’s an important principle here: Courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage is doing what is right, despite the risk, despite the chance of failure, despite your fear. But Nehemiah showed his wisdom in his approach to the king. He started with a customary greeting for the king, followed by a very diplomatic way of saying that his heart was broken over the condition of the city of Jerusalem. He didn’t mention it by name. And he didn’t accuse the king of neglect; after all, what is one city hundreds of miles away to the man who rules the empire? But all this leads to v. 4. The king knew Nehemiah. He had never acted this way before. But he probably consulted on numerous other projects of the kingdom. Nehemiah would never bring up something without having something in mind. He wouldn’t waste the king’s time in that way. “Ok, Nehemiah, what is it you want?” This reminds me of the time in Mt 20 where two blind men call out as Jesus was passing by, saying, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” It says that Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately, they received their sight and followed him. What is it that you want? What do you want me to do for you? How awkward would it have been if, at this point, Nehemiah said, “Well, Your Majesty, I’m going to have to think about that. Would you give me some time?” But not Nehemiah. He had spent a great deal of time praying and working out a plan to do something about the situation in Jerusalem. How do we know this? Because chapter 1 started in the month of Kislev, 4 months earlier than this conversation with the king. Nehemiah spent 4 months working on a plan and then watching for the right time to bring it up to the king. The timing of this conversation was certainly part of the plan. The month of Nisan was the Persian New Year, the perfect time to ask the king for help. Nehemiah was smart, but we see here that he wasn’t arrogant. He knew his careful planning might not work. But one of my favorite parts of Nehemiah’s story is both his faith and his courage in action. He is a man of action, AND he is a man of faith. He says, then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king. Now, it probably wasn’t much more than a quick “Help me, Lord!” kind of prayer. But we’ll see this again in his story. This was just part of his life. Nehemiah prayed before he did anything. As the Apostle Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” At the end of chapter 1, he prayed that God would grant him success and favor with the king. And here in chapter 2, he prayed before he answered the king. But I would encourage you to just try this. Before you go into a meeting at work, pray about it. Before your kids come home from school, pray about it. Before you talk with a friend, before you come to church, before you worship/serve/give, pray about it. It doesn’t have to be long. Just open your heart to the influence of the Spirit of God, and expect God to speak into your life. Before I meet with people, I often ask, “Lord, do you have a word you want me to share with them?” While I’m listening in conversation, I’m also listening for God’s leading, and sometimes I’m praying for wisdom to respond. And very often, God answers, guides, directs, and provides what is needed. Now, I hope you know this, but as we see here, faith isn’t the opposite of action. Faith in God directs and empowers the right actions. But also notice that Nehemiah didn’t lead with his emotions. His heart was greatly moved by the news from Jerusalem, but he didn’t run off to Jerusalem in the middle of the night. Emotions are better followers than leaders. Never lead bold action with emotion alone. Nehemiah spent months of careful planning. He prayed and prayed, and he planned and planned. And once he planned his work, he worked the plan. But not his critics or his enemies (Sanballat or Tobiah) or even Satan himself could stop him. Now, some people are natural planners. They are careful and don’t act until they think things through. Other people are not natural planners. They jump and then think about where they should land. And I’m not saying that that’s sinful; it’s just not very wise. God wants us, his children, to be wise. But what was the outcome? The king not only gave Nehemiah permission to go, which would take him away from his responsibilities as the king’s cupbearer, likely for years, but the king also gave Nehemiah everything he needed to do the project! And again, we see his faith in the statement that all this was because the gracious hand of his God was on him. Nehemiah prayed, planned, prayed, took action, and then gave God the credit when it all worked out. But today, as we start this series, the big idea, really for the whole series, is this: It’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work! So far, only Nehemiah has started to work. But soon, we’ll see him mobilize thousands of people to get to work. But it all started with a God-given burden for the people and the city of Jerusalem. His heart was deeply moved by their need. So he prayed and acted with courage because he trusted that God would provide what he needed. So today, what might it look like if, as a church, we got to work? Do we have a God-given burden about anything today? Does any need in our church or in our community move our hearts? And if so, what are we going to do about it? I pray that we would act with the courage, wisdom, and faith we see here in Nehemiah. If a few guys could work together to clear a big tree branch in ten minutes, what could we do if we worked together as a church? Now, just because God’s gracious hand was on him doesn’t mean everything was easy. There’s a little foreshadowing at the end of our passage with the mention of Sanballat and Tobiah. We’ll see that Nehemiah would face very strong opposition and difficulties as a leader. But the Lord was faithful; Nehemiah led well, and again, it’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work. I think you’re going to like this series. Let us pray.
