Friday, November 6, 2015
Nehemiah 1:5-7 And I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants. Both my father's house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses."
YOU HAVE THE EAR OF THE KING!
Nehemiah had the ear of more than just some earthly king. He had the ear of the King who is infinitely more powerful than any king in this world, the LORD God Himself. So Nehemiah didn't run off to the throne of Artaxerxes to seek help. He first went to the throne of mercy.
Notice how Nehemiah prayed. He approached God humbly, recognizing that God had the power to help His people. He came knowing that God is faithful to His promises. He came confident that God would listen with open ears and open eyes to the prayers offered by His own children.
How could Nehemiah pray this way? And how may we? Because he and we are confident that God is the God of grace, who hears the prayers of His people, even though we have sinned and deserve nothing from God except punishment. That's why Nehemiah can say that God hears those who observe His commandments -- and also say "I confess we have sinned against You. We have not kept the commandments which You commanded Your servant Moses." Nehemiah admits sinners do not deserve that God should hear him.
We also confess this when we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses ..." We also do not deserve to be heard by God us. But Nehemiah knew, and we also know, that there is forgiveness with the LORD. In Christ, we have the ear of the King, for "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Cleansed of sin, we are righteous before God, and "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry" (Psalm 34:15).
