Nehemiah is one of the most interesting characters in the Bible. In the Fifth Century, B.C., we find Israel living in exile, having been carried away from their homeland by their captors, the Persians.  Many historians, however, consider the Israelites to have been more colonists than slaves.

Persian authorities allowed a partial return of Jewish captives to Jerusalem starting about 538 B.C.  Nehemiah himself was a captive, working in the palace of Artexerxes, the king.

Word of trouble among the "escaped" captives came to Nehemiah by word of Hanani and other travellers who had apparently been to Jerusalem and returned.  When Nehemiah inquired of the state of affairs in Jerusalem, he was told that things were not well.  The city was in affliction.  Its walls were still torn down and its great gates were ashes  (Nehemiah 1:3).  The affect of this condition, in an ancient city, was to be constantly overrun by marauders and vandals--to be terrorized without protection.

Nehemiah was burdened beyond measure for his people in far away Jerusalem.  But what could he do?  He was a butler for the Persian king.

What do you do when you have an overpowering burden and there seems to be no adequate human response?  Let's be encouraged by what Nehemiah did.

First, he prayed.  Prayer is not a last resort, it should be our first resort.  It was in the latter part of November or the first part of December that Nehemiah received news about the plight of Jerusalem.  (I like to think of that time as what society now calls "the holidays" - Thanksgiving to Christmas in our culture).  The Hebrew month was called Chislev (Neh. 1:1).  As the air turned crisp and the trees yellowed,  Nehemiah began to pray.

For months Nehemiah could do nothing but pray.  But he prayed seriously, fervently, and with faithful anticipation.  "Heaven....we have a problem....!"

And it came to pass when I heard these words, that I sat down and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven... (Nehemiah 1:4-10).

How did Nehemiah pray?  Remember, we are learning a lesson about how God handles problems.

1.  Nehemiah wept, and mourned, and fasted.... (Neh. 1:4).  This was no casual prayer, as evidenced by sincere weeping, mourning, and fasting.  Probably, Nehemiah was so burdened and so preoccupied with the plight of Jerusalem that praying was the most important part of his day.  Prayer replaced or accompanied most of his daily routines.  (See  Philippians 4:4-7 and I Thessalonians 5:17).

2.  He prayed to "the Lord God of heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God, who keepeth covenant and mercy for them who love him and observe his commandments..."  (1:5).  Nehemiah had both a proper respect for God and a proper relationship with God, both important when we want our prayers to be effective.

3.  Nehemiah confessed sin, acknowledged God's justice, and sought grace.  "...We have sinned against thee, both I and my father's house have sinned."  How refreshing!  Many today do not sin.  They make poor choices, mistakes, or become victims of something, but they do not sin.  Nehemiah was simple and honest, praise God!   "We have sinned," end of story!

In chapter 1, verse 8, Nehemia implies that he understood that the exile of his people was a direct result of their sin.   Nehemiah did not claim that God owed him anything.  He simply came as a forgiven sinner seeking God's grace. 

When the flowers of spring bloomed, Nehemiah was still praying.  In the month  of Nisan--equivalent to our late March or early April-- God moved in Nehemiah's behalf.  Please note that he had now been praying for about six months.  "Heaven, we have a problem....!"

Now, God was ready to act upon Nehemiah's prayers.

One morning in April, when Nehemiah served the king, the monarch noticed how sad Nehemiah was.  Then, Nehemiah had an invitation to speak to the king about the plight of his beloved Jerusalem.  Artexerxes commissioned Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls.  It is unlikely that this could have happened unless the matter had been saturated for months in prayer.  "No time spent in prayer is wasted time."

Nehemiah's challenges were not over.  Eleven times in this Old Testament history book, we find Nehemiah on his knees before God.  He was thus able to confront all his tormentors, by courage gained only through prayer and faith.

It is said that during the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell gained the reputation as the bravest man in England.  Someone approached the old cavalier and asked him, "Mr. Cromwell, what is the secret to your bravery?"

Cromwell's reply is said to have been:

I fear God.  Therefore, I need fear no man.

The next time you have a problem, a great problem for which there seems to be no earthly solution, we urge you to remember Nehemiah and the old proverb which so truly states,

Prayer cuts the knot that no hand can untie.