Nehemiah 1:4 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. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 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.
Leviticus 26:33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
Deuteronomy 4:27 And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you.
Deuteronomy 32:28 “For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.
1 Kings 9:6-7 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
Ezra was a priest. He was sent to Jerusalem by Nehemiah to start rebuilding the temple and leading the people in commitment to God. Nehemiah’s prayer. This was a very big ask by Nehemiah. He knew they had fallen away from God and this was the reason they were in exile. He also knew from God’s word that unfaithfulness is punished and returning to God is rewarded by the awesome power and steadfast love of God. He prayed confession, praise, and faith. He prayed believing in God’s word. He prayed for success in what seemed impossible.
When our heart is heavy and our burdens overwhelming we don’t have to wait and be overcome with doubt, fear, worry, and restlessness. we can take it straight to the feet our redeemer Jesus Christ. We can know and believe that He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Why do we not ask? Why do we not ask? Why do we wallow in our doubt? Could it be that we think we are not good enough or have not done enough? These thoughts of being and doing are lies from Satan. He wants you to believe that the only way to receive God’s grace and love is to be better, do better, live better and with this lie filling your heart deny the power that is through Jesus Christ who willingly died for the person we were. He did this for the lost sinner. He did this out of His love. He did this to show His love for us. While we were yet sinners He did this. In faith, we come to Him. In faith we can rely on Him. In faith, He is honored and glorified. In faith we are made right with Him, not by being good. We are made good through faith in Him alone and not by what we do.
Come to Him as you are, in faith, confessing, praising, and trusting in Him alone for the trials, worries, and burdens that are seemingly impossible to overcome.
