This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. Here at Connect with Skip, we love helping you understand God’s Word and apply it to your life through clear, practical Bible teaching and real encouragement. And if you’d like help to keep growing in your walk with Jesus, sign up for Pastor Skip’s free weekly devotional. You’ll receive biblical insight, teaching highlights, and exclusive resources designed to help you stay strong in your faith. all delivered right to your inbox. Signing up is quick and easy, and you’ll be glad you did. Go to connectwithskip.com and join the list today. That’s connectwithskip.com. Now let’s dive into today’s teaching with Pastor Skip Heitzig.
SPEAKER 01 :
We have here the heart of a man of God. He cares. He feels very deeply about this. This moves him emotionally. He has the right emotion. Change begins by caring, first by listening, and then once you receive the information, the truth of the situation, you start caring about it. I’ve always been impressed with the fact that in the Gospel of Matthew, it says, when Jesus saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. It moved him emotionally. So how do you feel today? when you hear of a church splitting? How do you feel when you hear of a couple divorcing? How do you feel when you hear of somebody who is backslidden as a Christian? How do you feel when you hear about the crime rate in this city or the abortion rate in this state? This is how a lot of people feel. I’m leaving. I’m going to Texas. I’m moving to Florida. I’m bailing. I’m getting out. Having the right response is vital. When you allow the information you hear to affect the emotion you feel, you’re on the right track. This can be easily illustrated. Let’s say we have two roommates, right? They share the same house or apartment. Let’s call roommate number one Mr. Clean. He wants everything spick and span. He wants everything in order. Let’s say the second guy, let’s call him Mr. Slob. He didn’t care. Socks can be anywhere. And so they got problems in the house. The roof is leaking. The faucets are leaking. It’s dirty everywhere. Who’s going to care? Mr. Clean or Mr. Slob? Tell me. Mr. Clean. Mr. Slob doesn’t care. It’s another day in paradise for him. But the guy who cares because he’s built differently, he’s the guy that’s going to fix the problem. Warren Wiersbe said, what makes people laugh or weep is often an indication of their character. Tears are sometimes a sign of weakness. At other times, they are a sign of strength. I think God wants to break our hearts with the things that break his heart. When Jesus saw Jerusalem, remember the last time he came into the city, what did he do when he saw the city? He wept. If you know the life and ministry of Jeremiah and the book of Lamentations, when he saw the city of Jerusalem, what did that prophet do? He wept. Jesus wept over the city. Jeremiah wept over the city, and now Nehemiah weeps over the city. So loving your city also includes feeling the right emotion. Let me give you a third. Loving your city means having the right reaction. Okay, he feels something really deep. He’s heard the information. He’s bummed out. He’s weeping. He’s mourning. It’s touching him very, very deeply emotionally. What does he do? Verse 4, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for many days. Here it is. I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven, and I said, I pray, Lord God of heaven. First thing he does after he weeps is he prays. Now, something about prayer in the book of Nehemiah. The book of Nehemiah opens with prayer. In fact, the rest of the chapter is his prayer. The book of Nehemiah closes with prayer, and 12 times in this book, Nehemiah is praying. So from beginning to end and everything in between, it is saturated in prayer over what he cares about, and he cares about the city of Jerusalem. Now, what I want to have you notice with me as we work our way quickly through this prayer is is that it has some characteristics to it. And if you want your prayers to be more than just something that bounces off the ceiling and dribbles down the wall, if you want your prayers to have some effect, I would just encourage you to incorporate some of this stuff in your prayer. First, this prayer has perspective. Perspective. Look at verse 5. Look how he prays. I pray. Lord God of heaven. That’s mentioned twice, by the way. Back in verse four, he says, I was praying before the God of heaven. And then in his prayer, addressing God, I pray, Lord God of heaven, followed by, oh, great and awesome God. Listen, here’s a key in praying. Realize who you’re talking to. Realize who you’re talking to. Nehemiah realizes he’s not talking to the king of Persia. He’s talking to the king of the universe, God of heaven, great and awesome. When you pray this way, it will give you faith for whatever request you have. Well, this is a big request. This person has faith. You’re talking to the God of the universe. When you realize who you’re addressing, it puts everything in the right perspective. This is exactly what Jeremiah did. Jeremiah 32, 17. Oh, sovereign Lord, you made the heavens, the earth, by your great power and outstretched arm. There’s nothing too hard for you. Begin your prayer that way. Or in Acts chapter four, the apostles who were threatened by, said, Lord, you are God. You made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. That’s how you begin your prayer, with that perspective. When you have a perspective adjustment like this, and you realize God is the God of heaven. He’s got the best seat in the house. He has the best vantage point in the universe. Here I am on the earth locked into a single dimension. God sees it all. He’s the God of heaven. We often forget this. We often carry our limitations over onto God. And you hear it in our prayers. You know, we come, we’re so overwhelmed, and this has got to be so hard. You’re talking to God. Quick example. In photography, perspective is everything. So let’s say you’re photographing a building and you want to get all of the building in. You get right up close to the building and you get a wide angle lens, a wide angle lens on the camera that just brings the whole building in. What it will do is make the building right in front of you big, but everything in the distance seem farther away than it is. The mountains are just tiny little things in the background. If you want to bring the mountains far away up close, you use a telephoto lens. A wide-angle lens is one perspective. A telephoto lens brings that which is distant up close. When you pray like this, you’re putting on a telephoto lens. When you pray realizing who you’re talking to, you’re bringing something far away right up close. You’re the God of heaven. You’re great. You’re awesome. So begin that way. That’s perspective. Also, this prayer has personal confession. Now watch this. Verse 6. Please let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant, that’s him, which I pray before you now, day and night, for the children of Israel, your servants, and confess the sin of the children of Israel. Watch this. Which, what’s the word? Shout it out. We. We. We. which we have sinned against you. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We, verse 7, have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandment, the statutes, the ordinances which you commanded your servant Moses. Nehemiah, the cupbearer, who was not even born in Jerusalem, didn’t even know the people who sinned a generation or two before him. He identifies himself as with people he has never met. He identifies himself with a corporate sin of the nation. Daniel, by the way, prayed the same way. Is this important? I think it is. I think a lot of times we are finger pointers. Yeah, those people. That city, that governor, that president, that, that, that. We point our fingers. And you know the saying, when you have one finger pointed at somebody, you’ve got how many pointing back? Yes, you do. To be part of the solution, you need to see yourself as part of the, tell me, problem. Until you see yourself as part of the problem, you will never become part of the solution. That’s how Jesus taught us to pray. When you pray, he said, pray, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Personal confession. Many complain about the school curriculum in our state government-run schools and the crime rate in the city of Albuquerque. Truth is, we’re part to blame for that. We kind of just snoozed while a lot of this stuff was being implemented. And now people go, I didn’t know they’re teaching my kids that. Well, you could have. So personal confession. Another thing this prayer has is purpose. Look at verse 5. I pray, Lord God of heaven, great and awesome, who keep your covenant, key word, covenant. God, you made a deal with us, your people, the people of Israel. You keep your covenant and mercy with those who love you and observe your commandments. Go now down to verse 8. Remember, I pray the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, if you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though some of you were cast to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for my name. Now, these are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power, by your strong hand.
SPEAKER 04 :
You’re listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Every day, the generosity of friends like you helps make clear verse-by-verse Bible teaching available to people searching for truth, direction, and hope. And this month, we want to thank you with two powerful resources to help you follow God faithfully, even when life feels uncertain or challenging. When you give, you’ll receive the Expound Nehemiah seven message CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip’s booklet, Overcoming an Anxious Mind. Together, these resources show you how God rebuilds what’s broken, strengthens you when you face opposition, and gives you peace, even in seasons of pressure and waiting. We’ll send both resources as our thanks when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. Now let’s return to today’s teaching.
SPEAKER 01 :
Nehemiah understood the covenant. Nehemiah, when he prays, is confident in God’s purpose. Let me explain that. I’m not going to go through all the different quotations and tell you where they were, but there are no less in this prayer, no less than 10 different quotations of scriptures previously written, which tells me that Nehemiah was a man of the word. This guy knew his Bible, and he is quoting truths from what he knew in the Bible and bringing them into his prayer. And God knew the promises that were made in the Torah, that if my people blow it, they’re going to go into captivity. But if they turn to me, I’m going to bring them back from captivity to the city of Jerusalem, regather them. So he’s praying with that purpose in mind, which gives him confidence. In other words, he was saying, Lord, We are a bunch of promise breakers, but you, O sovereign Lord, are the great promise keeper. Keep your promise. Keep your promise. And this is important. When you pray with purpose, because prayer is not getting your will done in heaven, prayer is getting God’s will done on earth. I’ve always loved the story of the little boy being tucked in at night by his mama. He was saying his bedtime prayers. Lord, bless mommy, bless daddy, bless kitty and my little doggy. He’s praying through all the things to bless. And then he shouts at the top of his lungs, and dear God, please give me a bicycle. And his mom said, sweetheart, God isn’t deaf. You don’t need to yell. He said, I know God isn’t deaf, but grandma is in the next room and she is hard of hearing. I think sometimes we sort of think that prayer is like talking God into something we really want him to do for us. Martin Luther said, prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It’s laying a hold of his willingness. So. This man, Nehemiah, knows God is willing because he has made a covenant with his people, and he prays according to purpose. So this prayer has perspective, personal confession, and purpose. One final little attribute of this prayer. Persistent. How many times do you pray about something and then never pray about it again? I prayed about it. I shot up a quick prayer to God. Oh, God, help. Bless. But look at verse 4. When I heard these words, I sat down and I wept and mourned. For how long? Many days. Many days I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. In verse 6, please let your ear be attentive, your eyes open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you now day and night. That shows up twice in this prayer. He says, I’m doing this day and night. Hey, do you remember the story in the New Testament where Jesus said, it says, one day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. Then he launches into this crazy story about a judge who is a creep, unjust, horrible guy. And there was a widow who needed help, and she bugged him, like bugged him all the time. And finally, the unjust judge says, I’m going to do what this lady wants, not because I want to or I think it’s fair, but she’s bugging me. This crazy woman is bugging me, and it’s her persistence that makes me do it. So what Jesus is saying, if you got a creep on earth who will do that for a lady who pastors him, God in heaven will do that for his children. And you shouldn’t give up when you pray. You should persist when you pray. Don’t be like the man who was fishing with his friends. A storm came on the lake. The boat started sinking and the man started praying. Lord, I haven’t asked you for anything in 15 years. Help me now and I won’t bother you for another 15. God would say, please bother me. Please persist in prayer. So we have a few different elements here, do we not, of loving your city. It begins by asking the right question. It includes feeling the right emotion. It means having the right reaction, which is prayer. Now let me close with verse 11. Loving your city involves doing The right actions. Once you get the information and you feel a certain way about it and you then pray like he did. I got down and I prayed and I mourned and I wept. This beautiful prayer. Now it’s time to do something about it. More than just pray. Now you can’t do anything more than pray until you pray. But you can always do something more than pray after you pray. And he does that, verse 11. He closes his prayer, but watch what he says. Oh, Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name. Here it is. And let your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. This man is the king. This man is King Ahasuerus, the ruler of the world at that time. King Artaxerxes, excuse me, that I pray, grant him mercy in the sight of this man, for I was the king’s cupbearer. Here’s what’s happening. He’s about to walk into the throne room. He’s about to make a petition to the king. Send me back to my city of Jerusalem. I want to get my hands dirty. He can’t just quit his job and volunteer. He has to get permission from the king. And so he’s asking here for God’s favor as he now steps up to the plate to do something about the problem. Nehemiah, think of it this way. Nehemiah sat down and wept. Then he knelt down and prayed. And then he stood up and worked. He sat down and wept. He knelt down and prayed. And he stood up and worked. And I’ve noticed something that if God is going to answer the prayers of the saints, he often starts with the one doing the praying. Because the one doing the praying starts developing a heart for what he is praying for. And God starts moving in that person’s heart. I feel deeply about this. And often they will become the answer to their own prayers. Hey, do you remember in Matthew chapter 9, Jesus saw the multitude. He’s moved with compassion because they’re like sheep having no shepherd. And then he says this to his men, his disciples. He says, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray, therefore, that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into the harvest. He commissions them to pray. Now, do you think the disciples did that? Yeah, I think it’s pretty safe to think Jesus told them to pray. They probably, come here, Peter. Come here, John. Let’s pray about this. Lord, send out laborers into your harvest field. I’m guessing they did that. The very next chapter, we read, these 12 Jesus sent out and commanded them saying. Did Jesus answer their prayer? Yeah, by sending them, the ones whom he called to pray about the need. That’s often how it works. Nehemiah prayed. His burden for Jerusalem became greater. His vision became clearer. This is the Romans 12 principle. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. He presents his body. He goes before the king. We’ll see in the next chapter. And he wants to expand the kingdom of God. A quick P.S., Nehemiah is a government worker. We need cupbearers. We need government workers. We need people, Christian people, in politics, in city councils, on school boards, to be salt and light. And God is looking for volunteers today. He won’t coerce you, but he wants your involvement. Years ago, I was in line here at a store. A woman recognized me and said, hi, Pastor Skip. And then she left. And the woman in line in between us was, I don’t know who it was, but she turned around and said, she said, you’re a minister? I said, yes, I am. So you’re a pastor. Yes, I am. And then she said, I’ve never been asked this question. She looked at me incredulously and she cocked her head and she said, why? Now, that struck me because I thought she must think I’ve been forced into this, coerced somehow into this position rather than willingly doing it. Funny how people think. You’re Nehemiah, the guy who left a cushy job in Shushan the palace to go to Jerusalem, a place that’s broken down and the gates are burnt. Why? I want to. I’m called to. I see the need. I prayed about it. Now I want to get my hands dirty. I want to close with this fun little story. It’s an author I was reading, came across something that somebody else wrote. And he said, I came across this. It stuck out to me. He said, my eight-year-old son told me a joke one morning while I was frying eggs for the family breakfast. Dad, how can you eat an egg without cracking the shell, he asked. I thought about it for a while, finally conceding I didn’t know. And so he replied, have someone else crack it for you. The author who found this said, now this reminded me of some church people. They want the benefits the church has to offer without sharing the responsibilities. They want revival as long as someone else does the praying. They want good programs as long as someone else does the work. But if you want to eat eggs, you’re going to have to break some shells. You want some eggs? Let’s go break some shells. Let’s go get our hands dirty. Let’s love our city. Let’s pray for our city. Let’s feel deeply about our city. And then after crying about it and complaining about it, then praying about it and getting up and doing something about it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, remember, your generosity helps share God’s Word with people all around the world, offering truth, hope, and encouragement where it’s needed most. And this month, we’d love to thank you for your gift of $50 or more by sending you the Expound Nehemiah 7-Message CD Series with Digital Download, along with Pastor Skip’s booklet, Overcoming an Anxious Mind. These resources will help you see how God rebuilds what’s broken in your life and gives you peace, even in the middle of pressure and uncertainty. Give today at connectwithskiff.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. We’ll see you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.
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Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the crossing
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Connect with Skip Heitzik is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God’s never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
