Tuesday, July 15

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Tuesday

Nehemiah's prayer; "Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders."  -  Nehemiah 4:4-5

Nehemiah sounds a little hot here. He's letting off steam!  This prayer seems pretty tough, but prayers in the Psalms are even tougher: Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! (Psalm 58:6).  Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents (Psalm 69:25). 

It is proper for a child of God to pray such a prayer, because they are giving their violent inclinations over to God, and letting Him deal with them. If we are angry at someone or have a real enemy, then we can go at them in prayer. Never in the sense of praying evil upon them, but in turning them over to a good and just God, because He knows exactly what to do with them. Nehemiah doesn't get caught up in a name calling game. Instead of calling names, he calls on God.

Proverbs 26:4 says, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself." If you're getting ridiculed for your faith, or whatever, don't answer back. Then you're no better than the person who's ridiculing you. If you've got a project and people are taking pot shots at you, just rely on God and humbly go about your work, but above all, Pray!

For Nehemiah, prayer was a first resource, not a last resort. When times of opposition come, God wants us to rely on Him - and the purest way of expressing our reliance on God is through prayer.

The greater the opposition the more you need to pray, to depend on God. When you're ridiculed don't take it out on people, talk it out with God. That's what Nehemiah does. He hears this initial ridicule but basically he ignores it and goes to God. The best response to ridicule is don't respond. Instead, you go and you pray and you keep on doing what you should be doing in the first place. The first verses says - they ridiculed, they prayed, they rebuilt the wall. Ridicule can never stop you from doing what you're doing. Not unless you let it. 

If you're a leader and you're under attack, the first thing you do is pray. You take it to God. Sometimes if you ignore the opposition the criticism dissipates, vanishes. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it intensifies. When Sandballat and the others realized that ridicule wasn't working, they plotted together to fight against Jerusalem. Nehemiah 4:9 shows how God’s people responded.

And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.  - Nehemiah 4:9

They did the prayerful thing and then the practical thing. They did Both!  It's fine to lay in bed at night and pray, "Oh God, protect me from thieves." But you also need to get up and lock your door! Oliver Cromwell is reported to have said, "Trust God and keep your powder dry."   

Up to this time, Nehemiah has been doing the praying. Now all of the people are praying. Where did they get that idea? They've been watching their leader. Leaders lead by showing, not by telling. Nehemiah has been praying constantly for four chapters. The people are getting the idea that it must work. They start praying too. If you're a leader in your business and if you want other Christians to follow your lead, start praying!Nehemiah's constant prayer life had affected these people. The point I want to make is that corporate opposition requires a corporate response. Now the whole people of God are praying. 

They prayed and they posted a guard. Nehemiah sets up an alarm system. He sets up 24-hour guards. He posts a watch. He knows his opposition. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. A lot of leaders have lost because they've underestimated the opposition. Don't just pray. Be aware. Know your opposition and don't be ignorant about what's happening. 

In the Bible the phrase that is used over and over again is "Watch and pray". Jesus said it. Paul said it. John said it. Peter said it. Watch is the human part - post a guard. Pray is the divine part - trust God. 

Jeff Frazier