In a world often inundated with unsettling news, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when those events strike close to home. We have an emotional and physical response when the news hits close to home. Our bodies and minds react, but before the waves of despair take hold, we have a powerful tool: prayer. Through this sacred act, we find solace, direction, and a source of strength. Upon hearing of the ruin of Jerusalem, his beloved city, Nehemiah turned to prayer in his grief. His example reminds us that prayer offers a path toward healing and hope, even in the face of devastating news.
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. 5 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, 6 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. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 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.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 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.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ne 1:4–11.
Prayer is a sacred encounter, one that demands honesty and vulnerability. Before we utter a word, we must strip away any pretense or hidden agendas. Any facade we place between ourselves and God prevents us from connecting to God’s ultimate mercy and hope. We approach Him not as actors on a stage but as souls seeking solace and salvation. Our hearts and minds must be bare, exposing our joys, sorrows, and deepest fears. God meets us in our authenticity, inviting us to embrace our true selves, even amidst life’s struggles. In this raw, honest space, our prayers become offerings of our very essence, transcending the ordinary and connecting us to the divine.
Approaching God, we must first recognize our unworthiness to be able to come before the Almighty Creator of the universe. Yet, through His grace, we are invited to draw near. Thus, confession is at the heart of our prayer – recognizing sin’s impact on the world and our part. We approach His throne humbly, not blaming ourselves for humanity’s brokenness but owning our transgressions. Since we have sinned, we recognize that we are inherently part of the cause of the wretched curse sin has wrought on us, but through humility, we bring our confession to the Almighty, who has saved us. Through this, we find the source of our salvation and plead with God for guidance.
Within the Scriptures, we find a timeless conversation between God and humanity, addressing our modern struggles through generations of wisdom. We often find that the Lord answers us through the scriptures when we are seemingly unheard. Just as Nehemiah brought his heartfelt plea to the Lord with humility and the scriptures on his mind. Nehemiah admits his fault through the scripture-filled prayer and understands God’s promise and hope for the future. We must understand that just as imperative as prayer is, we must also immerse ourselves in the scriptures so that the Word of God might come to our minds. While the answer was not a step-by-step plan for solving all the problems of the Jerusalem situation, the answer from Scripture provided comfort and the assurance that he wasn’t alone. His experience reminds us that the Scriptures offer more than solutions; they offer companionship and divine connection.
Like a swift current, life carries us along, sometimes tossing us into unexpected turmoil. Nehemiah’s story illustrates this: faced with the news of Jerusalem’s ruin, he felt the urgency to act yet understood the primacy of prayer. Our lives, too, are marked by imperfections and sorrow, prompting us to seek solace and strength in prayer. Turning to God humbles us, reminding us that we are not masters of our fate but recipients of divine grace. Prayer is not isolation but a conversation nurtured by spiritual practices and a deep connection to scripture. Nehemiah’s humble prayer sparked the restoration of Jerusalem, demonstrating that God’s hope is often ignited not by worldly power but by the heartfelt cries of His people.
Horizon Community Church 