Monday meditation: A man of action, and a spirit of submission
Today’s text focuses on the prayer of Nehemiah, introducing us to his autobiography, the Old Testament book bearing his name. In his example, we can discover several benchmarks for evaluating our life with God.
He prayed.
This was not a formulaic prayer before dinner. This was not a cursory, duty-driven 15 minutes of “daily devotions.” Nehemiah “wept and mourned for days, . . . fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”
Then chapter 2 shows him going before the king with a bold request for time and resources to rebuild Jerusalem, the holy city that lay in ruins. Even as the king asked him what he wanted, Nehemiah didn’t tell him without praying again (“under his breath” as The Message renders it), before making his big ask.
I can’t help but wonder whether the challenges I’m facing wouldn’t go smoother if I would remember in each challenging moment to whisper to God, “I need you here!”
He confessed.
A prayer like Nehemiah’s grows from a unique estimation of reality.
On the one hand, Nehemiah had a big vision for what he wanted to accomplish and a long list of what he needed before it could come true. As the rest of the story makes clear, Nehemiah was smart, strong, and strategic. Jerusalem was full of other men who couldn’t or wouldn’t take up the challenge, and Nehemiah was uniquely gifted to tackle it.
But Nehemiah wasn’t full of himself. He knew Jerusalem’s sorry state was the result of his people’s disobedience to God, and his own sin, too. Nehemiah boldly reminded God of his promises to his people, but he humbly admitted his complete dependence on God for success.
He humbly admitted his complete dependence on God.
Nothing like caregiving has pushed me to confess my complete dependence on God for wisdom and strength to cope. I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like earlier if I had always admitted the same.
He acted.
His book shows how Nehemiah took initiative. He inspected the destroyed city and made a plan for rebuilding it. He recruited teams of workers to accomplish the task. He stood up to detractors. He attacked injustice. He organized and settled the exiles returning from Babylon. And he called the whole nation to hear God’s Word and worship and celebrate and repent.
His example shows us there’s a time to sit in a corner and pray, and then there’s a time to rise up and build.
As I read his story, I’m challenged to decide which is my greater need: to submit to God in humility or to get busy giving myself to his service. And it doesn’t take me long to decide on the answer.
Today I will seek to do both.
Read: Nehemiah 1 ESV
Pray: Thank you, God, for calling Nehemiah and telling us his story. Forgive me, for trying to act on my strength alone—or, on the other hand, for not realizing that only you can provide the peace and wisdom I need for today’s tasks. Help me, Lord, as I prepare to tackle them just now.
Illustration copyright Classic Bible Art. All rights reserved. Click here for a list of events where you can see Classic Bible Art on display this year. For more information about securing a library of this beautiful art for yourself, see here or here. Some art in this series is available for you to license at Goodsalt.com.