This morning Debbie and I left early for Glenwood Springs. It has been several years since we have been here, but this time we are reflecting on our trip here as newlyweds forty years ago!<\/p>\n
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…<\/strong>\u00a0 “….Please, Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to that of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success today, and have compassion on him in the presence of this man.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/em> Nehemiah 1:11 HCSB<\/p>\n Much has been written about Nehemiah’s leadership and success in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. He was in a trusted and strategic position as “cupbearer” before King Artaxerxes. This provided a great opportunity. However, the one consistent key to Nehemiah’s success and leadership was the fact he was a man of prayer.<\/span><\/p>\n The longest recorded prayer of Nehemiah is found in chapter one. It is 216 words and is Nehemiah’s confession and intercession on behalf of God’s people when he heard of the distress and discouragement among the Jews in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Nehemiah is known for what I remember being called, “arrow prayers.” These are prayers that are quick, short and to the point. When the King asks Nehemiah the reason for his sad countenance, before he responded we read, “So I prayed to the God of heaven<\/span><\/em> and answered the king…”<\/em> (Nehemiah 2:4,5 HCSB) <\/span><\/p>\n While no prayer is recorded, I am sure the Nehemiah was praying as he came to Jerusalem and surveyed the condition of the walls and enormity of the task before him. As we move into the account of rebuilding the walls, we find most of Nehemiah’s prayers as he encountered opposition and challenges to his effort and leadership.<\/p>\n When challenged by Sanballat and Tobiah, he prayed, “Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.<\/span> Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from Your sight, because they have provoked the builders.”<\/span> <\/em>(Nehemiah 4:4,5 HCSB) As they prepared for enemy attacks, it is noted that they prayed before they prepared.<\/p>\n As Nehemiah confronts the internal issues among the people he prayed, “<\/em>Remember me favorably, my God, for all that I have done for this people.”<\/em> (Nehemiah 5:19 HCSB) <\/span><\/p>\n Nehemiah prayed about his accusers, “My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me.<\/span>“<\/em> (Nehemiah 6:14 HCSB)<\/p>\n In Chapter 9, we read of Nehemiah leading the people in a “national confession of sin” and commitment to follow the Lord. This corporate prayer included these words, “Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors <\/span>did not obey Your law <\/span>or listen to Your commands <\/span>and warnings You gave them.\u00a0<\/span>When they were in their kingdom, <\/span>with Your abundant goodness that You gave them, <\/span>and in the spacious and fertile land You set before them, <\/span>they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.”<\/span><\/em> (Nehemiah 9:34-35 HCSB)<\/p>\n As we come to the final chapter, it is significant that we see four short prayers of Nehemiah as he brings correction to issues troubling the people.<\/p>\n “Remember me for this, my God, and don\u2019t erase the deeds of faithful love I have done for the house of my God and for its services.”<\/em> (Nehemiah 13:14 HCSB) “…Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion in keeping with Your abundant, faithful love.”<\/span> <\/em>(Nehemiah 13:22 HCSB)<\/p>\n “Remember them, my God, for defiling the priesthood as well as the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.”<\/span> <\/em>(Nehemiah 13:29 HCSB)<\/p>\n Then the final words of this book, “….Remember me, my God, with favor.<\/em><\/span>“<\/em> (Nehemiah 13:30 HCSB)<\/p>\n Prayers and petitions are a critical aspect of successful leadership. They all don’t have to be long; they can be short and to the point. Nehemiah’s final prayer is six words. As he consistenly prays for God to “remember” it is not a self-serving, glory-seeking desire. It is a desire for the favor of the Lord, for the protection of the Lord for the justice of the Lord in order for the work of the Lord to come to fruition.<\/p>\n Prayer for Today…\u00a0<\/strong>“Lord, help me to remember that seeking You and Your wisdom and your favor, is the most important aspect of effective and successful leadership. Thank You for Your favor that is available to guide my steps and overshadow my efforts in my work for You.”<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This morning Debbie and I left early for Glenwood Springs. It has been several years since we have been here, but this time we are reflecting on our trip here as newlyweds forty years ago! BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…\u00a0 “….Please, Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3259"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3260,"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3259\/revisions\/3260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kensummers.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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