1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:03,960 Let's turn together to the book of Nehemiah, chapter 2. 2 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,160 I don't hear pages flipping, so it sounds like you're already 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,840 there. And if that is the case, why 4 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:18,120 don't we pray one more time? Let's ask God for His help. 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,600 Father, we have so much to be thankful for. 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:30,640 We're so grateful that even in this busy season as a church, we 7 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,800 still come to your word. We still come to study and to 8 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:36,960 worship you through the Scriptures. 9 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:41,360 Lord, from the bottom of our hearts, we agree with the 10 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,320 psalmist who said, Whom have I in heaven but you? 11 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,800 And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you. 12 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,960 If we can't say that with full confidence, Lord, and only You 13 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,920 know, our hearts satisfy us again. 14 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:01,760 Use every verse unleashed in this Bible study to remind us 15 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,519 that You are the fountain of living waters, that every other 16 00:01:05,519 --> 00:01:09,720 cistern around us is broken, it's dirty, it's contaminated. 17 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:14,400 It will never satiate. We pray instead that we would 18 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:19,760 drink afresh as we just heard from the wells of salvation, and 19 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,040 we would be replenished in our worship, in our adoration, in 20 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,520 our awareness of who You are. We ask these things in the name 21 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,600 of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. 22 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:35,880 Amen and Amen. One of the greatest thrills of 23 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:41,440 the Christian life is to know that the God and Father of our 24 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,240 Lord Jesus Christ is a God who answers prayer. 25 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,560 Such an experience, when genuinely realized, will never 26 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,960 fail to awaken your understanding and mine of just 27 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,560 how personal the Lord is in His dealings with us. 28 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:05,720 Answered prayer carries a unique force to our faith, to our 29 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:10,120 courage, and to our worship, among other things. 30 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:16,680 It was the psalmist who was so moved by this reality that he 31 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,480 penned these words in Psalm 116, verse one. 32 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:26,760 I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my plea for 33 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,680 mercy. Hear those words carefully. 34 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:38,200 I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my plea for 35 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,440 mercy. What an astounding admission. 36 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:46,840 And it becomes even more stunning when you are able to 37 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:55,880 testify to it for yourself. Nehemiah is going to experience 38 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:01,480 with the psalmist shared. And this is to our benefit 39 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,800 because one of the ways that God encourages us to believe that he 40 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,640 is a God who answers prayers by providing us real accounts of 41 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:12,600 his answering of prayers. And that is what is before us in 42 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,040 this chapter in our study of the book of Nehemiah. 43 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:22,680 God heard his plea, God heard his voice, and we get to rejoice 44 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,000 with him in it. Look quickly here at verse 11 of 45 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,880 chapter 1, the last verse of our previous text, and notice what 46 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,960 Nehemiah prayed for. O Lord, let your ear be 47 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,520 attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of 48 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,360 your servants, who delight to fear your name. 49 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:45,160 And give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the 50 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,280 sight of this man. This man being the king of 51 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:54,360 Persia whom Nehemiah served. God is about to grant that very 52 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:59,320 mercy to this man of God. And I want to let you know from 53 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,360 the outset that we're going to walk away from this Bible study 54 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,320 with more than just a reminder of God's faithfulness in hearing 55 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:07,600 the petitions of His. People. 56 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,040 And the only way we will arrive there is if we take our time to 57 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,600 walk through these verses and examine the details of this 58 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:19,399 incredible testimony. Of Nehemiah Psalm 116 verse one 59 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:22,800 experience. And the way we're going to do 60 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,920 that is by looking at the 1st 8 verses of this chapter together. 61 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:32,640 So let's begin in verse one of Nehemiah chapter 2 in the month 62 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:38,120 of Nissan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes when wine was 63 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:40,680 before him. I took up the wine and gave it 64 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,760 to the king. Now I had not been sad in his 65 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:48,440 presence, and the king said to me, Why is your face sad, seeing 66 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,680 you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of 67 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,360 the heart, that I was very much afraid. 68 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,560 I said to the king, Let the king live forever. 69 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,720 Why should not my face be sad when the city, the place of my 70 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,720 father's graves, lies in ruins and its gates have been 71 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,160 destroyed by fire? Then the king said to me. 72 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:13,480 What are you? Requesting so I pray to the God 73 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,120 of heaven. And I said to the king, If it 74 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,280 pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your 75 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:22,720 sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my 76 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,240 father's graves, that I may rebuild it. 77 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:30,240 And the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, How 78 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,120 long will you be gone, and when will you return? 79 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,280 So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 80 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,640 And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, that letters 81 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,640 be given me to the governors of the province beyond the river. 82 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,440 That they may let me pass through until I come to Judah. 83 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:49,640 And a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the King's forest, 84 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,120 that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the 85 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,640 fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for 86 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:01,440 the house that I shall occupy. And the king granted me what I 87 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,280 asked for. The good hand of my God was upon 88 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:09,920 me. The chapter begins with a time 89 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,320 stamp that we've already explored in our previous study, 90 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,800 and it's an important detail because understanding when the 91 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:19,800 answer came for Nehemiah lets us know. 92 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,280 How long he had been praying and fasting for? 93 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,120 You know this already. I'm sure that in the beginning 94 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,640 of this book. We know when the news of 95 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:31,400 Jerusalem's destitution came to Nehemiah, it was in the month of 96 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,240 Kislev and the 20th. Year of the King and that 97 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,400 corresponds to. November, December. 98 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:41,160 Now we come, and we read in chapter 2 that it was in the 99 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:46,200 month of Nissan where God came. Through for his servant, and 100 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,960 that falls between March and April. 101 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:54,560 So four months. Four months of depriving himself 102 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,080 of food. Four months of seeking 103 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:02,720 desperately. 4 months of patiently waiting on the Lord. 104 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:08,280 And it makes you wonder, maybe like it did for me, why didn't 105 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:13,320 God answer sooner? There are many reasons why God 106 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,560 does not answer our request right away. 107 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:21,480 And Nehemiah's story here in this chapter gives us one other 108 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,880 reason, a reason that we often don't think about. 109 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:30,520 Lean in and listen to this. Sometimes there is divine delay 110 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,240 to give us time to practically prepare. 111 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:40,480 You see, if the Lord were to open the door that you so 112 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:45,960 desperately want to open at your desired time, it's very possible 113 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:50,080 that you and I would not even be ready to manage the provision. 114 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,720 We wouldn't even know what to do with it. 115 00:07:54,960 --> 00:08:01,720 In fact, should a door open at the time that we want, we may 116 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,400 find ourselves causing. Delay because of a lack of. 117 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:12,120 Preparation and the Lord knows more than we do, and so many 118 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:18,560 times He makes us wait. Nehemiah, on the other hand, 119 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:21,400 shows us that during these four months of fasting and praying, 120 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:23,640 he was also thinking and strategizing. 121 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,840 He was contemplating. He was, in a sense, listening, 122 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,919 planning. Organizing, wondering the best 123 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:37,440 way to approach this so that when the door would swing open, 124 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,200 Nehemiah would be able to run through it. 125 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:48,240 And we know that Nehemiah was preparing himself based on the 126 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,560 verses that we just read. Maybe you miss it and that's OK. 127 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,320 Look at verse 6 again of Nehemiah chapter 2. 128 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,160 And the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, How 129 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,720 long will you be gone, and when will you return? 130 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,600 So it pleased the king to send. Me when I had given him a time. 131 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,400 What does that tell you? Nehemiah knew how long it would 132 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,400 take to get there. He thought about how long it 133 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,560 would take to get the resources, how long it would take to build 134 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:19,320 the walls, how long it would take for him to come. 135 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:23,240 Back he thought about this. He didn't sit there and 136 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,360 thinking, you know what King, to be honest, I didn't even think 137 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:27,480 that you were going to ask me this. 138 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,440 And so can you give me like a couple days to just circle back 139 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,040 and think about this and talk to some of my friends and you know, 140 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,040 I have to send a few letters to to to. 141 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:37,040 He didn't do any of that. Why? 142 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:42,600 Because he already did it. He was prepared much more 143 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,400 prepared than we think. Look at verse 7. 144 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:48,880 And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be 145 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:51,840 given me to the governors of the province beyond the river. 146 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:54,920 That they may let me pass through until I come to Judah. 147 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,880 And a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the King's Forest, 148 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,000 That he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the 149 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,480 fortress of the Temple and for the wall of the city, and for 150 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,200 the house that I shall occupy. He's he's covering everything. 151 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,320 He knows the name of the manager of the King's Forest. 152 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,680 He knows the permits that he needs from the government. 153 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,040 He knows the materials that anybody used for the gate and 154 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,120 for the wall and for the house that he shall occupy. 155 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:24,120 He he has it all figured out. Why? 156 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:26,520 Because while he was praying, he was preparing. 157 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:31,240 Those are not odds against one another. 158 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,320 They work together. In fact, let me add this, when 159 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,720 you and I prepare while we pray, that in itself is an act of 160 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,480 faith. I am getting ready for God to 161 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:46,360 answer this. And so you may be listening to 162 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:48,720 this today and you find yourself in the same predicament as this 163 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:50,920 man of. God, you are patiently and 164 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,840 eagerly, consistently waiting on the Lord for something. 165 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:58,920 And here's what I what I want to. 166 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,200 Ask you, have you ever considered how you are 167 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,840 stewarding this time of waiting? Are you stewarding it well? 168 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:10,920 So you may be asking the Lord for an opportunity to be in 169 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,280 ministry. Let me say this in love, what 170 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,440 are you doing to be prepared to be the minister? 171 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,480 You may be desperately seeking the Lord for a spouse, a husband 172 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,480 or wife, and that's a great thing to ask God for. 173 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,440 But may I ask what adjustments are you making in order for you 174 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,760 to be more suitable for that responsibility? 175 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,680 Nehemiah teaches us that any potential frustration that may 176 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:44,000 come with waiting on the Lord can be turned into an investment 177 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,880 that will enrich the answer when it finally comes. 178 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,400 I think about this church and the season that we are in that 179 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,000 we are enjoying together. God answered our prayer. 180 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,000 But I can tell you this from behind the scenes. 181 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,040 We have been preparing. We have been to the best of our 182 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,480 ability. Because as a church, we all 183 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,000 believe that God was going to bring us to that next phase. 184 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,520 And I can say again with great confidence that we are in a 185 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,960 position where we believe that all these years of waiting has 186 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,480 been a time that God allowed the cement of the foundation of this 187 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:23,040 ministry to dry so that that next chapter, when it comes, we 188 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:24,800 can hit the. Floor running and we are running 189 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,720 a lot. Some guys have back pain because 190 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:34,680 they've been running so much. So we find here something so 191 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:36,560 instrumental about waiting on the Lord. 192 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:40,280 There's so many things that come with that, and one of the things 193 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,600 that we need to be mindful of is that the Lord wants us to 194 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:46,280 steward that time well and not waste it so that we can know the 195 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:49,440 answer in a more fulfilling and effective manner. 196 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,360 Now as we come to verse two, I was struck by two emotions that 197 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:58,440 are attributed to this man. Look at it again with me and the 198 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:00,480 king said to me, why is your face sad? 199 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,680 Seeing you were not sick? This is nothing but sadness of 200 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:06,120 the heart. Then I was very much afraid. 201 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,560 Sadness and fear, sadness and fear. 202 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:13,240 Now let's look at these things separately. 203 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:18,840 Why was why was Nehemiah sad? Well, we know, but what can we 204 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,240 learn about it? Many things. 205 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,320 Let me just present one Nehemiah. 206 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:26,800 Nehemiah's sadness in the setting was actually very 207 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,880 dangerous. It was dangerous because history 208 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:35,760 tells us that there was a certain etiquette for the 209 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,480 Persian court. And one of. 210 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:42,720 Those things, those rules, was that you could not show yourself 211 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,280 to be despondent. You could not show yourself to 212 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:50,000 be grieving because that may be a sign, a signal of disloyalty 213 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:54,200 or dissatisfaction. If you served in the presence of 214 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,240 the king, it was your job to make the king happy. 215 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:02,600 You cannot afford to show what Nehemiah is showing here. 216 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,840 You could be. Demoted, And depending on the 217 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,960 mood of the king, you could even be killed for carrying a frown 218 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,920 on your face. In fact, this rule actually 219 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,160 shows up in the Book of Esther. It's a neighboring text to 220 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,040 Nehemiah. Look at Esther chapter 4 with 221 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,880 me, just to confirm this and to understand just how serious 222 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,080 Nehemiah's sadness is in this context. 223 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:36,280 Esther chapter 4, Look at verse 1 and 2, when Mordecai learned 224 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,800 all that had been done. Mordecai tore his clothes and 225 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,040 put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the 226 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:45,840 city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 227 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,880 He went up to the entrance of the King's Gate, for no one was 228 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,320 allowed to enter the King's Gate clothed in sackcloth, you see. 229 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,640 You can't come into the presence of the king with sadness that 230 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:03,280 can get you killed. And Nehemiah himself shows us he 231 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:08,000 hints at the grave mistake it would have been to appear grief 232 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,120 stricken before Arctic Xerxes and what he records at the end 233 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:12,440 of verse one. What does he say at the end of 234 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,400 verse one? Now, I had not been sad in His 235 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:17,480 presence. In other words, up to this 236 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:21,360 moment, I've been consistent in concealing my true feelings. 237 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,880 I came to work with a smile every single day. 238 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,520 I was able to hide it. But on this particular day, the. 239 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,480 The sorrow was too severe. It was. 240 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,440 It was bubbling. Over and he exposed himself, his 241 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:44,840 face told on him and the cultural background to this. 242 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:48,120 Text help helps us understand why Nehemiah was so afraid when 243 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,000 the king began to question his countenance. 244 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:58,120 He understood the risk now. And when I was meditating on 245 00:15:58,120 --> 00:15:59,960 this the other night, something struck me. 246 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,240 It struck me so deep it caused me to rejoice over my Bible. 247 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:11,400 Unlike Artaxerxes, I serve a king who gives me permission to 248 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:13,720 enter into his presence just as I am. 249 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,080 If I'm discouraged, I can go to him. 250 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:28,400 If I'm worried, I can go to him. If I'm angry, I can go to him. 251 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:34,080 If I'm broken, I can go to him. If I'm confused, I can go to 252 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:37,600 him. If I've failed, I can go to him. 253 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,320 And I never have to worry if he will be angry with me. 254 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,800 Going to him just as I am, I never have to worry if he will 255 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,000 demote me. I never have to think if he will 256 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,800 kill me. In fact, Hebrews tells us 257 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,760 something so wonderful about our priestly king. 258 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:00,800 He sympathizes with our weaknesses. 259 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:06,680 So more than the Lord Jesus being willing to hear us in the 260 00:17:07,319 --> 00:17:12,800 state of our heart, He actually feels for us in our frailties. 261 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,839 And that's why in the same passage where we learned that in 262 00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:25,319 Hebrews 416, we are told, let us with confidence drawn near to 263 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:28,520 the throne of grace. You know that word confidence in 264 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,080 your translation? It might read boldness, but in 265 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:35,440 the original, it's something so applicable to our study that 266 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,120 word confidence actually means freedom of speech, 267 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:44,880 unreservedness in speech. In other words, go to your king 268 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:50,880 and speak your mind. Open your heart before him. 269 00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:57,080 Not only is your Lord infinitely more powerful than Art exerses, 270 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:01,600 he's also incomparably compassionate and more 271 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:10,920 approachable than he is. See, Nehemiah needed permission 272 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:13,120 to speak about what was in his heart. 273 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,760 You don't need permission. You can go freely. 274 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,560 You can go whenever and how many times you need to go. 275 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,960 You know, sometimes we, we have these understandings, these 276 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:27,840 theological understandings of who God is, and they're 277 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,080 wonderful, but they're limited unless you really. 278 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:31,680 Meditate. Jesus Christ is King. 279 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:34,160 We hear that, and that causes something to store within us. 280 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:35,320 Yes, Amen. He has authority, He's 281 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:37,600 sovereign. But listen, what kind of king is 282 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,120 he? That makes all the difference. 283 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:46,520 He's unlike any other king that history has ever known, and we 284 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,760 see it even here. We don't have to cower. 285 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:54,760 We don't have to be sheepish. We can come with boldness before 286 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:59,120 him and all His Majesty and royalty and splendor. 287 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:05,400 We have freedom to speak to him and he welcomes us. 288 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:09,160 He, he doesn't judge us. He sympathizes with us because 289 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,320 he came and took on flesh and he experienced temptation, so he 290 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:19,440 knows where we're coming from. This is something so wonderful. 291 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:25,280 We see even Christ being contrasted here to our benefit. 292 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:32,080 Now, although Artaxerxes is so inferior to our Jesus, there is 293 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:36,040 something pleasantly surprising about what he does here in our 294 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:40,240 main text, because in verse 2 we read that he notices that 295 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:44,040 Nehemiah is sad, and so he asks about it. 296 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:52,840 Now, his inquiry into Nehemiah's dejection is not only something 297 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,520 for us to consider concerning his discernment, right? 298 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:57,040 He knew that this was a matter of the heart. 299 00:19:57,360 --> 00:19:59,880 Nehemiah is not sick, he's heartsick. 300 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,480 But there's debate if the king is doing this because he is 301 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:08,240 suspicious. Or if he is caring and it could 302 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:15,040 be a mixture of both, and the sympathy that the king is 303 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,520 showing here is unusual. If it is sympathy, again, I 304 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,720 believe that it's a mixture. I think that there's different 305 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:21,440 things going on in Artaxerci's mind. 306 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,080 He's wondering why does he look different? 307 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,240 Nehemiah is about to give him or he gave him wine. 308 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,400 Is there something going on here that I don't know about? 309 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:33,920 I'm sure that's part of the the thinking, but at the same time 310 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,560 there might be this. Conflict because he knows 311 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,320 Nehemiah. We're about to find out that he 312 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:42,000 really admires Nehemiah, and so perhaps he's also wondering, is 313 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,920 there something going on? This is intriguing, but it's 314 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:47,480 also instructive because we're not. 315 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,320 We're barely 2 chapters into our study, the book of Nehemiah, and 316 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:53,560 already we're learning. We're seeing something being 317 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:58,960 emphasized by the Holy Spirit that there is wonderful God 318 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:03,680 glorifying testimonies that can unfold with this one practice, 319 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:10,320 inquiring about somebody in their pain, you see. 320 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:14,440 How does this story begin? Nehemiah feels for the shame of 321 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:18,280 his brethren back in Jerusalem. And that feeling, that sympathy 322 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,880 is going to lead to a revival in Jerusalem. 323 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:24,360 And now you have the king. What is the king doing? 324 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:28,280 He is showing somewhat of a concern for his own servant, 325 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,560 Nehemiah, and that is going to lead to the launch of this whole 326 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:36,320 thing. And so even with the king, we 327 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,800 have inspiration. Do not underestimate the power 328 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:46,600 of leaning into somebody's brokenness and showing Christ 329 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:52,280 like. Care because there is a ripple. 330 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:57,080 Effect that can ensue. A ripple effect of blessing. 331 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:01,840 You remember what Joseph did. Joseph's story had a turning 332 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:06,280 point when he was the manager of that prison, and he asked why 333 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:11,400 the faces of the Baker and the cupbearer to Pharaoh were 334 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,360 hanging low. And that would change the 335 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:16,720 trajectory of. His own life. 336 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:21,320 And so the king asked, why are you? 337 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,200 Why are you sad? What is happening here? 338 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,160 If these are just some of the things that we can learn about 339 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,240 Nehemiah's sadness, but what about his fear? 340 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,360 We've already discussed the contextual reason for a sudden 341 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,840 dismay, right? He understands that I can be, I 342 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,440 can be killed right here and right now. 343 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:45,080 If the king does not have favor towards me, but there's more to 344 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:49,960 learn about his trouble. Was Nehemiah man of God? 345 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:51,520 Absolutely. Did he know the law? 346 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,400 He did read his prayer. He quoted Scripture. 347 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,240 Was his heart in tune with God's desires? 348 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:02,160 Absolutely. Did he have a high view of God? 349 00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:04,440 You better believe it. One of his favorite titles for 350 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,840 God is the God of heaven. He repeats that the God of 351 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:09,720 heaven, that you're above everything. 352 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,400 In fact, when he was praying to the God of heaven in chapter 1, 353 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:19,640 he saw this same king as just a man, this man, this man. 354 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,200 And yet with all of those praiseworthy qualities. 355 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:32,280 Nehemiah is being honest. He experienced real fear, 356 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:42,520 reminding us that any of us can be surprised by temptation, that 357 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,680 even the greatest heroes of the faith can know the things that 358 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,840 you and I experience on a regular basis, filled with fear. 359 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:56,840 And you wonder, is this a man of faith or what? 360 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:02,120 He is a man of faith, but he's, he's a man and so are you. 361 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,840 And at the same time, Nehemiah, admitting here that he was 362 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:10,920 fearful, encourages us how necessary it is to be prepared 363 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,800 for the things that we do not suspect to visit us. 364 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:21,280 As much as Nehemiah is visited by this terror, I argue he was 365 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:23,480 ready to face it. Do you know why he was ready to 366 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:25,160 face it? Do you know why he managed it so 367 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:26,800 well? Do you know why that he was able 368 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,320 to dig his heels into the ground and face the king? 369 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:31,480 Because he'd been praying for months. 370 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:37,560 He's been seeking God about this very opportunity that was before 371 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,800 him. And so I understand how Nehemiah 372 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,200 is perceiving this. He understands here that this 373 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,400 this is an open door. And though initially he was 374 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:50,280 startled by the question and he understands the risks behind 375 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:54,440 this, potentially, he also knew that this is it. 376 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:57,640 I'm seeing the door open right before me and he. 377 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,840 Seized it. Please listen very carefully. 378 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:05,680 There is a preparatory grace that comes with prayer that even 379 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,320 though you are not praying about something in the immediate. 380 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,680 Sense even though you don't know how God is going to answer the 381 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:13,520 very thing you're praying for, because you are praying for it, 382 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:18,120 you are investing in your future strength and wisdom and grace. 383 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,680 Because Nehemiah had been saturating himself in the 384 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,680 presence of the God of heaven, he was able to stand before the 385 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:32,320 king in all his intimidation. So prayer in many ways prepares 386 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,120 us. And because this man had been 387 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:41,000 praying, he was ready to squash this fear and actually speak up 388 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:43,760 and take advantage of this moment. 389 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:47,840 And this is exactly what he will do. 390 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:52,360 Look at verse 3 again. Before we look at Nehemiah 391 00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:54,640 answers the king, you need to be mindful of another factor that 392 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:56,960 makes the situation a little bit more complicated for him. 393 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:04,200 When we studied Ezra, we learn in chapter 4 verse 21 and 22 394 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,720 that Artaxerxes had already made a decree that he is not 395 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,400 interested in seeing the city or the walls of Jerusalem being 396 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:14,720 rebuilt. That is the last thing that we 397 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:20,400 know about Artaxerxes and his relationship to the idea. 398 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:24,560 Of Jerusalem being restored. And Nehemiah was aware of this, 399 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,360 so you understand. You understand why he is fearful 400 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:31,320 here, not just. Because of the protocol of being 401 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:34,560 a servant in the presence of the king, but also because of 402 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,960 Artaxerxes personal opinion about the idea of rebuilding the 403 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:42,760 walls. So Nehemiah here not only has to 404 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:47,240 explain his sadness and justify it, but he also has to challenge 405 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:55,000 Artaxerxes original decree. That's going to be difficult to 406 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:59,760 do. But he thought to himself, I 407 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:04,040 have no other choice, and that's why he's going to speak with 408 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:06,440 wisdom. Look again at verse three. 409 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,360 I said that the king let the king live forever. 410 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:13,200 Why should not my face be sad when the city, the place of my 411 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,120 father's graves, lies in ruins and its gates have been 412 00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:20,680 destroyed by fire? So when Nehemiah was speaking to 413 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:23,960 the Lord about Arctic Xerxes, he called him a man. 414 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:26,640 Grammy mercy in the sight of this man. 415 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:33,280 But when Nehemiah spoke directly to Arctic Xerxes, he did so with 416 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:37,120 dignity and honor. Let the king live forever. 417 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:42,200 He was courageous, but he was respectful. 418 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:49,000 And if this is just basic social skills, if you and I want our 419 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:54,440 request to be heard, do it with respect, especially with people 420 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:58,720 in positions of authority. And added to that, if, if we do 421 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,480 not know how to control our emotions, remember he, he's 422 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:05,440 knowing sadness and fear all at the same time. 423 00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:10,040 If, if we can't subdue our emotions in certain settings, we 424 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,080 may actually hurt our cause instead of helping it. 425 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:16,240 There's a time to be emotional. There's a time when being 426 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:17,480 emotional actually will help you. 427 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:20,360 And there are times when you need to rein it in and speak 428 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:24,280 clearly and directly for the sake of the 'cause that you're 429 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,760 trying to advocate for. So this man speaks with great 430 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,280 respect. But secondly, he makes the 431 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:33,440 situation personal to try to get the king to relate to his 432 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:37,960 distress. Does Nehemiah bring up Jerusalem 433 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,560 by name? He doesn't. 434 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:46,720 Do you know what he does? Instead, he speaks of the city 435 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,120 as the place of my father's graves. 436 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:52,720 He does it twice. Look at verse 5. 437 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:56,240 It's right there that you may send me to Judah, to the city of 438 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:58,800 my father's graves. What's going on here? 439 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:06,800 Nehemiah is going to meet Arctic Zerys at his level. 440 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,520 He understands that this ruler has his own perspective, an 441 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,200 unfavorable one, about the history and reputation of 442 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:18,240 Jerusalem. Let me remind you just what the 443 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:19,840 king thought. I'm going to read to you from 444 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:24,360 Ezra 4, the decree that the same king made about Jerusalem. 445 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:28,800 Listen carefully in Ezra 4 verse 19, Arctic Zercy says and I made 446 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,480 a decree and search has been made and it has been found that 447 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,080 this city from old has risen against kings, and that 448 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:38,200 rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 449 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:41,600 So you understand that to Arctic Zercy. 450 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,000 Is Jerusalem synonymous with rebellion and treason? 451 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:50,360 Nehemiah knows this, So what does he do? 452 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:57,120 He emphasizes the personal aspect of the situation to help 453 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:00,720 the king see it from his own eyes, from his own perspective. 454 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:06,320 This is where my father's graves are being desecrated. 455 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,520 We're open and vulnerable to our enemies. 456 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:15,000 The king could relate to the respect that we should give to 457 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:21,320 the dead now. There is a fine line between 458 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:26,480 wisdom and compromise, especially in how we speak to 459 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:30,240 the unsaved. Nehemiah is not being 460 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,440 disingenuous here. He's not being cunning and 461 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:34,480 devious, right? He's not trying to manipulate 462 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,600 the king. He's being helpful. 463 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,800 And there's a distinction that needs to be made. 464 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:45,880 If Nehemiah really wanted to twist the King's arm, if you 465 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:49,480 really want to play games with him, then I suppose that he 466 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:53,960 would speak about what most concerned the king relating to 467 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:56,960 Jerusalem. What was the main concern when 468 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,480 he was told about the rebuilding back in Ezra 4? 469 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,080 His officials said, hey, listen, if they rebuild these walls, 470 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:05,360 you're going to miss out on tolls, on taxes. 471 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:07,960 They're not going to respect you. 472 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:09,920 And they're going to gain strength and perhaps get the 473 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:14,560 idea of actually rebel. And no king wants that. 474 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:18,560 But you know what Nehemiah doesn't do when he asks for 475 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:20,120 permission to go back and rebuild the city? 476 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:22,760 King, listen, I got to tell you something. 477 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:25,800 If you allow this to happen, it's going to boost up your 478 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,000 tourism. I'm telling you, it's going to 479 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,040 be wonderful. You're going to get more 480 00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:31,200 political points, you're going to be popular, people are going 481 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:32,440 to love you. He doesn't. 482 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:34,680 He doesn't say anything of the sort. 483 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:38,320 He's so plain. He's so direct. 484 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:41,160 He's actually very honest. The king says. 485 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,840 What do you want? I want to go back and rebuild 486 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,520 the city. That's it. 487 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:51,040 I want to restore its honor and because of the directness, 488 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,360 because of how? Obvious and clear this is 489 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:56,720 Nehemiah understands that he's going to need a fresh dose of 490 00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:59,640 boldness. So what does he do after verse 491 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,160 3? You know very well, but let's 492 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,800 look at it again. And the king said to me, what 493 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:08,280 are you requesting? So I pray to the God of heaven. 494 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,440 I don't know about you. To me, this is one of the most 495 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:14,320 powerful passages in all the Bible about prayer. 496 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:21,280 So I pray to the God of heaven. How? 497 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:28,120 Where? Here are a few reasons why this 498 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:31,480 is so profound. First of all, the location of 499 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:36,040 Nehemiah's praying. I don't know how close he was to 500 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:37,440 the king. He was definitely standing 501 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:40,760 before him. And yet, because of this hidden 502 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:45,040 inner cry, Nehemiah in a split second was transported before 503 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:52,040 the throne of grace. Nehemiah didn't have time to 504 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:56,440 retreat to a room and to ask for a little bit more time to seek 505 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:00,960 God for courage. So he prays right there and 506 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:05,600 then. And it shows us that God hearing 507 00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:09,400 us is not dependent upon designated rooms or holy. 508 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:14,240 Sites, you can seek him wherever you are. 509 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:17,640 And that is precisely what he does here. 510 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:23,000 It's his reflex. But secondly, we also realize 511 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,640 that there is the volume of his prayer and the brevity of it. 512 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:28,720 So yes, Nehemiah prays before the king. 513 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:30,680 That doesn't dismiss the importance of meeting with the 514 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,000 Lord for private fellowship, but it also reminds us that we can 515 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:35,600 have fellowship with Him anywhere. 516 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,080 But consider the volume of this prayer. 517 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:44,800 Consider how swift it is. It would be hard to imagine that 518 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,640 Nehemiah, when asked by the king, What are you? 519 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,720 Requesting that he close his eyes and bent his head and 520 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:54,560 murmured beneath his breath. In fact, you get the opposite 521 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:56,760 impression that the King didn't even take notice of anything. 522 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,080 He didn't squint. His eyes, he didn't do anything. 523 00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:03,360 It was totally internal. Listen to this. 524 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:07,280 Nehemiah's praying was slipped between the King's request and 525 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:11,280 his response. He was able to tuck it in there. 526 00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:18,880 And so in total silence in the inner parts of his soul, he 527 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,400 seeks the Lord. And it's it's. 528 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,639 Spontaneous and brief, yet warm and sincere. 529 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:30,000 And this reflex shows us one of the greatest illustrations of 530 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:32,199 the Bible, of what Paul commands us to do, and that is to pray 531 00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:34,120 without ceasing. This is it. 532 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:35,880 You want an illustration of what that looks like? 533 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:39,080 It's this. Before you walk into that 534 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:44,199 appointment, you, you pray, Lord, give me peace, give me 535 00:34:44,199 --> 00:34:50,920 grace. When you experience a wonderful 536 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:55,239 testimony or when somebody brings you a delightful news of 537 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:58,160 some sort, you in that moment, you just, you turn your gaze to 538 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:00,480 the Lord with the eyes of your heart, and you thank him for it. 539 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:02,720 This is what it looks like to be in constant fellowship with 540 00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:07,000 Christ. Which brings me to the final 541 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:08,840 thought about his praying. And that's the practice of it. 542 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:11,960 What you'll find from this moment on in our study of 543 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,320 Nehemiah is that he will pray just like this on many 544 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:15,960 occasions. In fact, there's a total of a 545 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:19,120 dozen times, just around a dozen times where Nehemiah is recorded 546 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:21,120 seeking the Lord. And most of those times are 547 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:23,080 what? Short breaths of prayer. 548 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:29,120 One sentence prayers thanking the Lord, Asking the Lord for 549 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:32,880 remembrance, Asking the Lord for grace, for for mercy. 550 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:39,320 In a moment. And the reason why he does this, 551 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,240 you know why, is because he believed it was effective. 552 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:42,600 And you and I have to believe the same. 553 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:45,840 You may not think that that whisper of prayer can be heard 554 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:49,320 by God, but every single sigh is heard by God. 555 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:54,000 In fact, if you want to do a fascinating Bible study for 556 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,360 yourself, don't study the long prayers, the recorded prayers, 557 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,840 the known prayers in the Bible. Look for these kind of prayers, 558 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:08,360 the spontaneous, awkward, placed in the moment seekings of God. 559 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:10,840 Do you remember Eliezer, Abraham's servant, when he was 560 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:12,680 sent by Abraham to find a wife for Isaac? 561 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:15,040 Go back to the region of my relatives. 562 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:17,680 So he does. He's at the well outside of the 563 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:19,720 city. The ladies come, and what does 564 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:21,200 he do? The same thing Nehemiah does. 565 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:23,800 He prays. God, you're going to have to 566 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:26,840 help me here. And he's got camels around him, 567 00:36:26,840 --> 00:36:29,600 and he's got ladies approaching him, and he's tired after a long 568 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:32,880 journey, but he knows how to lift up his heart to the Lord in 569 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:35,240 a moment. And God heard that very prayer. 570 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:37,440 Come on. Do you talk to the Lord 571 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:38,760 throughout the day? Why not? 572 00:36:39,720 --> 00:36:41,880 Why not? Let me challenge you? 573 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:47,720 If we have an ending unbroken access to the mercy seat, why 574 00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:53,760 not visit it frequently? Why not take everything to the 575 00:36:53,760 --> 00:37:00,280 Lord, from the car to the building, Talk to him from the 576 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:03,320 grocery aisles to the cashier, Talk to him in any place. 577 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:05,600 In every place, speak to the Lord. 578 00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:09,480 But I will say. This in order for these short 579 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:12,440 spontaneous prayers to be effective, it has to be based on 580 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:17,560 intentional time with the Lord in in private in many ways. 581 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,720 This should encourage us that we can pray short prayers at any 582 00:37:21,720 --> 00:37:23,400 time. But that should. 583 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:30,040 Never substitute intentional focus time with Christ in the 584 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:33,400 same way no spouse would allow for. 585 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:38,960 Somebody to remain in contact with them in brief text only. 586 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,200 Those texts with your husband throughout the day are nice, 587 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:44,680 they can be sweet and they can keep you connected. 588 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:48,240 But I should never replace eye to eye, face to face 589 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:54,520 relationship. Nehemiah chapter 1 sought God 590 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:59,560 spent time with God and I make the case that that is what made 591 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:02,560 these moments of prayer more effective. 592 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:08,600 So he seeks the Lord and what happens? 593 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,240 An interesting detail is added in verse 6. 594 00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:14,640 And the king said to me, look at what's in parenthesis here, the 595 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:18,800 queen sitting beside him. Why does that matter? 596 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:25,680 This is the only time the queen appears in this narrative, and 597 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:27,920 for whatever reason, the Holy Spirit, through Nehemiah wants 598 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:31,000 to let us know that when he was interacting with the king, the 599 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:32,520 queen was sitting beside the king. 600 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:38,160 One possible reason for the mention is that Nehemiah 601 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:44,200 observes something as he engaged with the king, that the King's 602 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:50,440 openness to Nehemiah perhaps was influenced by the presence of 603 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:57,480 the queen. If a man is humble enough, the 604 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:03,160 presence of a woman that he loves can make him tender, at 605 00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:07,880 least a little bit more tender, especially with others who are 606 00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:13,320 in pain. Women have a more compassionate 607 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:18,120 wiring than men do. And I think what Nehemiah is 608 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:20,360 doing here is that he's signaling to us that he 609 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:24,000 recognizes A providential grace in this very moment, that God so 610 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:28,160 set this stage that he even identifies the presence of the 611 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,920 queen right there, right now as a gift from God. 612 00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:38,160 Nehemiah was able to perceive God's Providence in the things 613 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:39,560 that the average person would miss. 614 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,160 So I read that and I think to myself, Lord, I want to be able 615 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:48,120 to see that your fingerprints in as many places as possible. 616 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,440 He was able to see that the queen is sitting beside him. 617 00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:55,160 That clearly is a key piece to this whole thing unfolding. 618 00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:58,680 And by the end of the section you read it, he knows that it's 619 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:04,720 all God. But that doesn't mean that the 620 00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:06,760 king did not have a positive opinion about Nehemiah. 621 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:08,880 Read again his question in verse 6. 622 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:13,480 How long will you be gone and when will you return? 623 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:17,960 So there's an openness. Now the king is actually 624 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:21,040 entertaining this. But you know what moves me about 625 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:25,640 this question? The king wants Nehemiah to come 626 00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:30,040 back. I'm willing to let you go, but I 627 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:32,440 want to know when can you come back to your post? 628 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:34,200 What does that say about Nehemiah? 629 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:37,080 It says something about his integrity. 630 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:41,720 It says something about his competence, This king who had 631 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:45,640 the resources of the world, saw the value of this one man, and 632 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:48,640 he didn't want to lose him. He didn't want him to travel 633 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:51,920 indefinitely. I need to know that this is all 634 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:53,840 planned out and I'm going to see you again. 635 00:40:57,200 --> 00:40:59,840 You know as much as the New Testament prepares Christians. 636 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:07,960 To be hated by the world because of our faith, our character, our 637 00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:15,680 work ethic, our trustworthiness should make people despising us 638 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:21,080 a lot more difficult. There are some Christians who 639 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:22,720 believe they are being persecuted because of their 640 00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:25,560 relationship with Christ, when in reality they're just 641 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:31,120 unpleasant to be around. They show up to work late all 642 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:36,960 the time. They murmur and complain like 643 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:39,400 there wasn't a God sitting in a throne in heaven. 644 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:46,120 For whatever reason. They're rude and demanding and 645 00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:52,840 they think they're being persecuted, and that's not 646 00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:56,160 really what's happening. That should not be. 647 00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:01,720 Nehemiah inspires us. This king who didn't worship his 648 00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:05,480 God, who had his own agenda, his own interests, who like many 649 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:08,760 other kings believed he was the king of the universe, liked 650 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:13,480 being around Nehemiah and was. There's something about 651 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:15,600 Nehemiah's, again, his character. 652 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:19,280 There was something about his his convictions. 653 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:20,680 There was something about his behavior. 654 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:25,520 There was something about his attitude that made him an asset. 655 00:42:27,240 --> 00:42:29,800 Believer. Listen, no matter what setting 656 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:33,600 you find yourself in, by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the 657 00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:36,240 things that we know from this book, we should be an added 658 00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:40,960 blessing, not a burden. We. 659 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:45,160 We should give people a reason to rejoice even if they disagree 660 00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:47,480 with you. And they may hate you no matter 661 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:48,400 what. That's fine. 662 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,920 But let them hate. You because of what you believe, 663 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:55,000 not because of how you behave. It was. 664 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:57,920 Peter, who told the believers, Let your conduct in first. 665 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:01,640 Peter 212 Let your conduct be honorable in the sight of the 666 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:06,680 Gentiles, so that in seeing your deeds they may glorify God in 667 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:12,520 the day of visitation. In seeing your deeds, not 668 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:15,120 hearing your arguments for why Christianity is the true faith. 669 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:16,320 I'm not saying that you can't do that. 670 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:18,480 We need to do that. We need to preach the gospel 671 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:22,520 with words, absolutely. But Peter shows us a part that 672 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:24,960 we sometimes miss. People watch. 673 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:31,880 They watch. They see the king work with 674 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:35,240 Nehemiah long enough to know when, when are you coming back? 675 00:43:35,240 --> 00:43:38,360 If I let you go, That's a wonderful thing to have. 676 00:43:38,720 --> 00:43:40,400 That's a wonderful. Testimony that we should strive 677 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:47,240 for and it requires practical Christianity it. 678 00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:51,920 Requires real life, day-to-day efforts. 679 00:43:52,640 --> 00:43:56,320 And intentionality with how we engage and how we respond and 680 00:43:56,320 --> 00:43:58,520 what we do with what we've been entrusted with, all of that 681 00:43:58,520 --> 00:44:00,960 matters if we really want to be ambassadors of Christ. 682 00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:04,360 Again, our goal is not to be liked by everybody. 683 00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:09,800 I wear the badge of Christ, and so do you. 684 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:16,320 And so I I want to be like this man in that should I leave a 685 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:21,320 place, people will feel it because the fragrance of Christ 686 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:27,120 is upon me and upon you. Nehemiah gives him a time. 687 00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:30,000 We don't know how long he said he would be gone for, but 688 00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:31,600 Nehemiah is going to take advantage of this. 689 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:36,640 He realizes the king is for me. So what does he do in verse 7? 690 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:38,560 And I said that the king give, it pleases the king. 691 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,000 Let letters be given to the governors of the province beyond 692 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:42,200 the river. That they may let me. 693 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:43,560 Pass through until I come to Judah. 694 00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:46,520 And the letter to ASA, the keep of the King's Forest, that he 695 00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:48,960 may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of 696 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:51,040 the Temple and the wall. You can tell that he's been 697 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:52,400 balling all this up inside, right? 698 00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:56,320 It just it spills out. I need it all. 699 00:44:58,840 --> 00:45:00,120 And I love how this section ends. 700 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:05,280 And the king granted me what I asked for. 701 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:07,000 The good hand of my God was upon me. 702 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:14,160 You know, Nehemiah wants to make sure that none of us conclude 703 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:18,560 that he was successful and received the favourable response 704 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:22,480 because of his cleverness, because he didn't mention 705 00:45:22,480 --> 00:45:27,240 Jerusalem, he was sensitive. It wasn't because of that. 706 00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:30,960 He didn't highlight the King's generosity. 707 00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:34,800 He didn't even emphasize about the Queen's presence, for that 708 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:38,560 matter. Right away, in the same breath 709 00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:42,520 where he tells us that the king granted them what he asked, he 710 00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:45,040 points us to the God who made it happen. 711 00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:57,200 At the same time, you cannot dismiss that God's hand moved 712 00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:00,360 upon the King's heart because Nehemiah had been on his knees, 713 00:46:02,280 --> 00:46:07,560 he had been seeking God. Prayer can move the hearts of 714 00:46:07,560 --> 00:46:12,880 kings. The power prayer is seen. 715 00:46:12,880 --> 00:46:18,680 And that it unravelled all the slander that had been made 716 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:21,320 against Jerusalem and convinced our Xerxes. 717 00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:25,960 It dismantled that. Think about it this way. 718 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:31,480 One man's private praying changed a royal decree. 719 00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:37,720 There's power here. Real power. 720 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:44,160 So why are we hesitant to pray? And I'm sure that we can collect 721 00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:48,960 all our reasons if we're honest enough, but all of those excuses 722 00:46:48,960 --> 00:46:50,720 shatter under the weight of this truth. 723 00:46:50,720 --> 00:46:53,400 God can move the hearts of kings on behalf of his people, 724 00:46:53,600 --> 00:47:00,000 especially praying people. So as you know, I not only study 725 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:02,240 and meditate for Friday nights in the book of Nehemiah, at 726 00:47:02,240 --> 00:47:05,160 least in this season, but we're in the Book of Revelation. 727 00:47:05,160 --> 00:47:08,200 And I stumbled upon something in Revelation 17, the very text 728 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:10,520 that we're looking at this Sunday, although not the verses 729 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:13,680 that I'm about to show you. And it's amazing how sometimes 730 00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:16,800 you study one thing and you think it's totally unrelated, 731 00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:20,160 and then God just reminds you how every part of His word is 732 00:47:20,160 --> 00:47:26,680 married to each other. Look at Revelation 17. 733 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:30,840 It really puts an exclamation point to this thought. 734 00:47:31,560 --> 00:47:34,000 And Revelation 17, which is our final text tonight. 735 00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:40,120 Notice what John says about A. Whole different thing about 736 00:47:40,120 --> 00:47:46,200 prophecy, about kings to come. About the end of the world, but 737 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:49,520 one truth remains the same. Revelation 17 verse 16. 738 00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:54,480 And the 10 horns that you saw. This is John receiving 739 00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:56,320 explanation for the vision that he had received. 740 00:47:56,920 --> 00:47:58,960 And the 10 horns that you saw? What? 741 00:47:58,960 --> 00:47:59,880 Horns. Literal horns? 742 00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:01,440 No. Earlier we read that the horns 743 00:48:01,440 --> 00:48:06,200 represent kings. 10 kings and the 10 horns that you saw. 744 00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:09,360 They and the beast will hate the prostitute. 745 00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:13,520 They will make her desolate and naked and devour her flesh and 746 00:48:13,520 --> 00:48:16,040 burn her up with fire. You might be wondering what what 747 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:19,040 is going on here. Just wait till Sunday. 748 00:48:19,040 --> 00:48:21,440 You'll know that this is not about an actual prostitute. 749 00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:22,880 That's a symbol for something else. 750 00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:25,640 We're talking about systems in the world, we're talking about 751 00:48:25,640 --> 00:48:31,880 institutions. 10 Kings turn on the prostitute, which represents 752 00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:33,680 something very powerful in the last days. 753 00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:36,840 But notice why they turned on her? 754 00:48:37,280 --> 00:48:44,440 Verse 17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his 755 00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:48,600 purpose by being of one mind and handing over the royal power to 756 00:48:48,600 --> 00:48:50,720 the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. 757 00:48:52,440 --> 00:48:55,000 Why did they do this? Because God put it in their 758 00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:59,400 hearts. There's no mention of prayer 759 00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:04,720 here, but we go to Nehemiah and we learn something that Nehemiah 760 00:49:04,720 --> 00:49:10,520 praying to God move God to put something in Arctic Xerxes heart 761 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:15,360 and more than that. Here's a different Ephesus in 762 00:49:15,360 --> 00:49:17,040 Revelation, the very text that we just read. 763 00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:23,360 God put it into the hearts of how many kings 10 when at the 764 00:49:23,360 --> 00:49:32,120 same time any king at any time, no matter the amount God can do 765 00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:35,760 something in their hearts for his purpose and for the good of 766 00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:38,480 his people. So why do we hesitate to pray? 767 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:41,880 Here's how I'm going to end very simply, very, very, very 768 00:49:41,880 --> 00:49:45,560 applicably. What obstacle stands before you 769 00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:51,400 today? What difficult person is a 770 00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:53,480 challenge to what you want to see God do? 771 00:49:54,960 --> 00:50:02,160 Is it a spouse? Is it a Christian friend? 772 00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:10,080 Is it a godless employer? Do you believe that God can 773 00:50:10,080 --> 00:50:14,120 touch their hearts? If not, what do you do with 774 00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:20,880 this? And I think the reason why we 775 00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:24,480 don't see God do what he can do in prayer is because we don't 776 00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:26,240 invest in prayer enough for Him to do it. 777 00:50:27,680 --> 00:50:32,160 We give up way too easily, and yet God and His kindness uses 778 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:38,000 Bible studies like this to get us back to our knees to seek Him 779 00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:39,640 until He does something. You know what? 780 00:50:40,040 --> 00:50:43,000 So many things move me about this man, So many things. 781 00:50:43,360 --> 00:50:47,720 One of the things that stir me is that four months pass and his 782 00:50:47,720 --> 00:50:50,920 sorrow is not depleting, It's getting stronger. 783 00:50:52,240 --> 00:50:54,840 Do you see? That for months he was able to 784 00:50:54,840 --> 00:51:00,760 hide it, but at the four month mark he could no longer hide it. 785 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:04,120 It showed up showing it was intensifying. 786 00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:08,960 That is not the pattern when it comes to our concern for the 787 00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:15,360 things of God, but I look at. This and I choose to be among 788 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:17,400 those who interpret the Bible in the following way. 789 00:51:17,400 --> 00:51:20,800 Lord, if you did it in this man Nehemiah, who is flesh. 790 00:51:20,800 --> 00:51:23,680 And blood just like me. He knows fear, he knows 791 00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:26,800 temptation. So do I, I'm not just going to 792 00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:28,920 relate to him in his temptation. I want to relate to him in his 793 00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:32,680 victory. Listen, so many Christians study 794 00:51:32,680 --> 00:51:35,360 the Bible with that one-dimensional view. 795 00:51:35,520 --> 00:51:38,720 Let me come to the Bible to see that even people in the Bible 796 00:51:38,720 --> 00:51:40,960 failed like I failed. OK, that's great, but what about 797 00:51:40,960 --> 00:51:45,960 their successes? So many Bible studies are just 798 00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:49,160 us comforting ourselves and patting ourselves on the back 799 00:51:49,160 --> 00:51:52,040 saying, you know, David failed, so we failed and God is 800 00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:53,160 merciful. That's wonderful. 801 00:51:53,720 --> 00:51:56,680 But David was a worship man. David was a man who knew how to 802 00:51:56,680 --> 00:51:59,280 give God his complete heart. Why don't we emphasize that as 803 00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:02,800 much Nehemiah? He was a man who had great fear. 804 00:52:02,800 --> 00:52:05,120 Yes, he had man who He was a man with great weaknesses, but he 805 00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:07,000 was also a praying man. Why don't we emphasize the fact 806 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:09,840 that he prayed? So I should be able to pray just 807 00:52:09,840 --> 00:52:15,960 as much. That's a good place to end, I 808 00:52:15,960 --> 00:52:20,680 think, to allow these truths to engage our faith and to move us 809 00:52:20,680 --> 00:52:23,560 until we say, Lord, I want to choose to believe this and ask 810 00:52:23,560 --> 00:52:25,320 you to do it in me, and he's able to do it. 811 00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:29,760 So what stands before you today? Do you have enough faith tonight 812 00:52:29,760 --> 00:52:37,600 to give God a breath? I say, Lord, I choose to believe 813 00:52:37,600 --> 00:52:43,560 you with all of me that you can do something about this and I 814 00:52:43,560 --> 00:52:45,560 just offer it here because you're being stirred 815 00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:47,840 emotionally. But to take it home with you and 816 00:52:47,840 --> 00:52:51,520 say I have nothing to lose. I have nothing to lose. 817 00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:57,280 I'm going to give this to the Lord until he comes through and 818 00:52:57,280 --> 00:53:00,320 I'm going to plan for it while I wait. 819 00:53:04,160 --> 00:53:08,280 And you might have your own Psalm 116 verse one experience. 820 00:53:08,760 --> 00:53:11,240 I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my plea for 821 00:53:11,240 --> 00:53:13,880 mercy. But we thank you that you're a 822 00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:23,670 God who hears prayers. You know what is burdening us. 823 00:53:26,310 --> 00:53:28,870 But Lord, you were so kind to remind us the kind of God that 824 00:53:28,870 --> 00:53:31,830 you are. And Lord, tonight we remember 825 00:53:31,830 --> 00:53:33,430 that you are not like Arctic Xerxes. 826 00:53:34,590 --> 00:53:37,430 We don't have to wonder what kind of mood you are in today. 827 00:53:39,510 --> 00:53:41,310 You were the same yesterday, today, and forever. 828 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:45,560 And so that we come to you. We believe that you are and that 829 00:53:45,560 --> 00:53:47,680 you reward those who diligently seek you. 830 00:53:48,800 --> 00:53:53,280 So we come to you as a church. And Lord, we ask that You make 831 00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:57,280 us a praying church. May the prayer meeting of NBC 832 00:53:57,280 --> 00:54:03,200 never die. And Lord, may our own prayer 833 00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:10,480 lives come back to life again. Maybe know the beauty of praying 834 00:54:10,480 --> 00:54:14,440 in private, but also praying throughout the day, inviting you 835 00:54:14,440 --> 00:54:20,040 into everything, remaining in contact with you and reaping all 836 00:54:20,040 --> 00:54:21,600 the benefits that come with that. 837 00:54:23,640 --> 00:54:26,400 So Lord, if there's anything that's going to be reinforced as 838 00:54:26,400 --> 00:54:31,880 a result of the study, may be how we seek you in all things. 839 00:54:32,720 --> 00:54:38,680 We love you Lord, and we honor you tonight in Jesus name, Amen. 840 00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:45,880 Listen, if this, if this touched you in a certain way where you 841 00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:48,280 want to speak to the Lord, stay seated, talk to the Lord, 842 00:54:49,040 --> 00:54:51,000 commune with him, just offer yourself to him. 843 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,400 If you want to stand and sing and rejoice over the truths that 844 00:54:53,400 --> 00:54:54,480 you heard, you can do that as well. 845 00:54:56,320 --> 00:54:59,520 But let's engage with the Lord, at least engage with the Lord. 846 00:54:59,520 --> 00:55:01,400 If you want to stand, you can do that. 847 00:55:01,400 --> 00:55:02,720 If you want to sit, you can do that as well.