"Nehemiah, the Praying Prophet"
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Of all the admirable qualities he possessed, Nehemiah’s greatest attribute is displayed in his initial response in first praying to God as the source of redemption and hope.
Royalty in Ruin (Prophets and Kings)
Chapter 52 - Nehemiah, Man of Prayer and Action
There is always value in coming to God for wisdom when answers to our concerns aren’t apparent. There is also value in owning up to our wrongdoing, and even to the wrongdoing of those who have acted poorly outside of our sphere of influence.
Random Statements:
You are related to a person in this room.
You currently share a bedroom with a sibling.
You currently have a job.
You have never seen a Toy Story movie.
You have more than three keys on you right now.
You have shaved your legs.
You have only lived in one house all your life.
You can play an instrument.
You have lived with a grandparent.
You have gotten a speeding ticket.
You are wearing pink.
You don’t own an iPhone.
You don’t have Netflix.
You’ve been to homeschool.
You were here last week.
You didn’t eat breakfast today.
You have an allergy.
You are not wearing socks.
You are wearing socks.
You have a dollar bill on you.
You haven’t showered today.
You went to bed after midnight last night.
Church and/or God-related Statements:
You can list the books of the Bible by memory.
You can remember your Earliteen Sabbath School teacher.
You have been in Pathfinders.
You had devotions sometime this past week.
You can say a Bible verse (besides Jesus wept) from memory.
You have been baptized.
You have been angry at God.
You have used bad language.
You have had a prayer answered.
You have prayed for a friend/family member to accept or reaccept Jesus.
You have been tempted to do something that would make God sad.
You have hurt another person by your actions.
You know that Jesus forgives you.
You are certain God loves you.
This week as we look at one of the really cool prayers in the Bible, I hope that we will be able to learn something from Nehemiah’s attitude toward prayer that might help us understand God better. This prayer takes up almost a whole chapter of the Bible. In his prayer Nehemiah faces many of the same questions that were a part of our game earlier. Is God listening? Will He act? How does justice work from God’s point of view? Am I worthy of God’s blessings and love? If you’ve asked those questions before, like me, I think this lesson will be very helpful!
We are beginning to look at a new book of the Bible—Nehemiah. Nehemiah is best read in the context of Ezra. We are going to be spending the next four weeks looking at this great book that is full of both interesting history and a theological view of that history. We spent most of last quarter looking at the kings of Israel. But the time of kings is over now, and Ezra and Nehemiah are the beginnings of a new sort of leadership. Ezra gave us the view of a priest. But who in the world is Nehemiah? We get a little glimpse into this person in the first few chapters.
Read Nehemiah 1:1-3.
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
Sadness is a real aspect of our lives. The biblical term for our response to sad news is lament, and lament is found throughout the pages of history and scripture among God’s people. When we care for others we can’t help but feel sad when bad things happen to them, and we often turn to God with our sorrow. Look at Nehemiah’s response to the news his “brother” gave him.
Read Nehemiah 1:4.
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
What a strong response to the pain and suffering of people Nehemiah had probably never even met!
Before we get to the rest of the chapter, I would like us to look at the very last sentence of the chapter. It is important in understanding both Nehemiah and also this book. It is the last sentence of verse 11: “Now I was the cupbearer to the king.” This is a servant’s position. But it is an important servant position.
Notice the transition of leadership influence here. Nehemiah is a lot more like you and me than like the prophets and kings prior to exile. And yet we are going to discover what an incredible leader Nehemiah is, even though he doesn’t have what most people would consider a position of power. He does have a position of influence.
Nehemiah’s prayer gives us some additional insights into this leader, and how we too can lead when things seem dire. Theologians break the prayer into five parts. They are good to know and perhaps can help guide us in our conversations with God.
1. Address (Read Nehemiah 1:5.)
5 Then I said:
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
It is always good when talking to God to acknowledge who exactly we are talking to! It might sound strange to say what Nehemiah did next time your family asks you to pray before your family meal. But think through what he said.
2. Appeal (Read Nehemiah 1:6a.)
6 a let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.
3. Confession (Read Nehemiah 1:6b-7.)
6b I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
To me this is the most important part of this prayer.
To me this is what biblical leadership looks like. It is taking ownership not only for our own actions, but those of our family, neighbors, church, etc. (Leaders, it is easy to gloss over this part, but this is probably the most radical part of this text for your students.)
4. Appeal 2 (Read Nehemiah 1:8-9.)
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
5. Request (Read Nehemiah 1:10-11a.)
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
God loves it when we come to Him. It is not wrong to request things of God.
As we close Sabbath School, let’s write a prayer for our community, along the lines of Nehemiah’s prayer. We’ll use each of the elements.
Prayer is only the beginning. Both prayer and fasting are the first steps toward action. As we will see in the next few chapters of this book, that is exactly what Nehemiah did. Don’t let what you have prayed stay in the walls of the church. Let your prayer lead you to action. You might not have “power,” but you each have the right amount of influence to let God lead you to see, hear, and act!
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
Last week we studied Ezra and his time in Babylon and Jerusalem. He was chosen by God, and because of this the king gave him everything he asked for. Some of the Israelites returned to Jerusalem and Ezra soon followed, taking four months to arrive at his destination. With him he took many others, sometimes having to beg them to go with him, since they had a comfortable life in Babylon. After they returned to Babylon, Ezra discovered that some of the people that returned with him were still not keeping the laws laid down by God. He had the role of the spiritual leader, and had to stand firm especially on the issue of intermarriage, which presented a large problem among the people. These unions were a threat to the spirituality of the people. It was the prophet’s duty to get the people to follow God wholeheartedly.
This week we study Nehemiah and the beginning of his story. We learn that there were continued problems in Jerusalem and that the people were in danger because the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down. How does this prophet deal with these issues?
What is something that makes you cry?
Read Nehemiah 1:1-11.
Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah’s Prayer
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said:
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
I was cupbearer to the king.
Nehemiah was chosen by God to carry out messages He sent to the Israelites. The Jewish remnant that survived the exile had returned to Jerusalem and found that it was not as they had left it. The mighty wall had been broken down and now lay in scattered rubble. The great gates to the city had been burned and no longer stood. Because of that, the people were exposed and vulnerable to the rest of the land and any invaders. When Nehemiah heard this news, it didn’t just make him sad, it moved him to tears. He mourned and fasted for several days. These days were filled with prayer to God. Nehemiah confessed and begged forgiveness for the sins of the people, including himself and his family. He knew that all their trouble was a result of the people’s disobedience. He very well knew that they had been instructed through Moses to be faithful or they would be scattered. He also remembered the promise that they would be gathered when they returned to the Lord, and this gave him hope. He asked the Lord to listen and be attentive to his people for they had returned. At the end of this chapter we learn that Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer and this will come into play next week as we continue to study Nehemiah’s story.
When Nehemiah was presented with the problem at hand, his first action was to turn to God. He devoted all his time to prayer, begging his God for forgiveness and wisdom. He even gave up food and water to spend time with God.
Remember when you were younger and your parents would kneel with you by your bed and pray? Praying used to be a regular part of your routine, but often as we grow up, other things take the place of prayer.
I think all of us have something in our past that we regret doing. It might come into our minds occasionally and bother us somewhere back in our subconscious. Just like Nehemiah confessed, we should as well.
Next time you pray to make a request, remember that Jesus is always ready to forgive whatever we confess.
