Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I hope and pray that you are all doing well.
Last week, we began a new series of messages on Nehemiah. We saw that the people of Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians. The Babylonians were subsequently conquered by the Persians. Nehemiah was the cupbearer for the emperor. Nehemiah heard that the people who remained in Jerusalem were in a bad way. The city's walls were destroyed as was the Temple. They needed help.
What I want to point out in today's message is that Nehemiah was a man of prayer, and he was a man of action. First of all, when Nehemiah heard about the condition of Jerusalem and its people, he prayed to God about the situation. Nehemiah acknowledged that the people were in a bad way as a result of their sinfulness. God had allowed the nation to go into captivity because they had rejected Him and had turned to idols. Nehemiah had remained faithful to the Lord, and so had others such as Daniel. There were those in Persia and in Jerusalem who had turned back to the ways of the Lord during their time in captivity. Nehemiah asked the Lord to remember His people in their time of distress.
When faced with a problem, the first thing that Nehemiah did was turn to the Lord. That is what we need to do. I read a sign in front of church once that said prayer is not a last resort. That is so true. Instead of trying to solve and deal with our problems in our own strength and through our own ability before we call on the Lord, the first thing we should do is bring our troubles, cares and concerns to the Lord and ask Him for His assistance. The Lord is the one who has the power to come to our aid and help us in each and every situation.
There is something else that I want us to see today about Nehemiah. He acted. He prayed, but he also sought to be part of the solution. He didn't pray, Lord the people there in Jerusalem are in a mess, send them some help. No. Nehemiah asked the Lord to help him to be part of the solution to the problem. He asked the Lord to enable him to find favor with the emperor so that he could go back and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem for the honor and glory of the Lord.
I think that there are at least two ways that this lesson from Nehemiah applies to us. We as believers in Jesus all know others who are not followers of the Lord. It is up to us to share the Gospel with them. It is up to us to share the good news of Jesus with this world. We can't just pray and ask the Lord to bring someone to salvation. We have to be the one to share the good news with them. We can't just pray that people around the world will hear about Jesus. We have to act in such a way so that the message of the love of Jesus will reach around the world.
There are also a lot of needs in this world. A lot of people are hungry, lonely and hurting in so many ways. We should pray that their needs will be met. However, we also need to be part of the solution to the problems in this world in the name of Jesus. We can all doing something to help meet the needs of others.
The other day here on the blog, I suggested that those who are able donate food to help those who aren't getting enough to eat. That is just one way that we can help.
Each one of us who follows Jesus needs to find a way to spread the message of Jesus in this world. We need to find a way to help others and to help make this world a better place.
After he prayed. Nehemiah was filled with courage and went to see the emperor. Nehemiah requested that he be allowed to go and rebuild the walls of the city. The emperor granted his request, and Nehemiah was also given the means to rebuild the walls. He now had to go and complete the task.
Let us learn from Nehemiah. Let us pray about all things and ask God to help us. Let us be the solution to the problems in this world. Let us spread the message of Jesus' love. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I really am not feeling well. I am having multiple health problems. Please keep praying that I will get to feeling better.
Pray for an end to the diseases that are plaguing the world right now. Pray that those who are sick will recover.
Continue to pray for those effected by natural disasters around the world. Pray that they will get the aid that they need. Please try to help as you are able.
Pray that Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, Syria and other places where there is war will have peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Lebanon and Morocco. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
There are a couple of things that we need to give thanks to the Lord for. The warring parties in Ethiopia have signed a cease fire agreement. Also, I heard that one of the nations I pray for each day, Maldives, now has someone there that is sharing the message of Jesus with people.
Next week, we will continue in Nehemiah. I will post the verses on Monday. I hope to feel better and post something midweek. May God bless you all.
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