Nehemiah's God

Last week began the series on Nehemiah's daunting burden over the ruins of his homeland. He was so troubled, he wept and prayed for 4 months, this as a man of action. But as J. I. Packer comments, he had to and we have to if we ever want to do anything that honors God. Prayer...centers on the hallowing of God’s name and the doing of his will—has, among its other effects, a reflex effect. It purifies the heart; it purges our attitudes and motives; it melts down all the self-centeredness, self-sufficiency, and self-reliance that as fallen creatures we bring to it, and programs us to work humbly, in a God-honoring, God-fearing, God-dependent way. It is far too easy to do anything, raise kids, labor at work, solve conflict, prepare sermons, without God, without prayer. But J. I. Packer is right, prayer melts away self. It forces us to stop and see that actually, God doesn’t really NEED us in this world. Instead, He invites us to join Him, but we must first see He really is God. We see this in Nehemiah as we first look at his Call in 1:11b-2:3, his Faith in 2:4-8a, and ultimately his view of God in v. 8b. Text: Nehemiah 1:11b-2:8 Speaker: Sam Shin Date: 1/27/19