Miracles at the last moment -4

Introduction

Proverbs 21:31 “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.”

            In the above passage we see the horse is prepared for the big day. But the victory comes from the hands of the Lord. In our lives, we may not be having any signs of miracle, but the Lord God will give us victory at the last moment. The Lord will supply all our needs at the right time.

Miracle of Nehemiah’s victory

Nehemiah 12:27,43 “And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.”

            Over here see the people were rejoicing at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah had to go through many problems while constructing the wall of Jerusalem. Initially it was all going well but when they progressed they faced many challenges. Today, let us see how Nehemiah handled the problems spiritually.

Prayer of Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:4 “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”

            When Nehemiah saw that the city was in a mess, he did not take efforts right away all by himself. We see Nehemiah mourned, fasted and prayed before the Lord God. The burden that Nehemiah had birthed a zeal in him to do something about the city. It turned him as a prayer warrior. He did not go by power but he kept everything in prayer. In Nehemiah 1:6 ‘Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.’ We see Nehemiah prayed day and night for the sins of the children of Israel. This entire book of Nehemiah begins with prayer and ends with prayer (Nehemiah 1:16 & Nehemiah 13:31).

            After reviewing Nehemiah 1:1 / Nehemiah 2:1 / Ezra 9 / Daniel 9, theologians confirms that Nehemiah had prayed for almost four months for this cause. Therefore, Nehemiah waited for four long months to bring his cause before the King. This clearly signifies his prayerful patience for the things to fall at the right place. The prayer of Nehemiah made him to finally appear before the King. Even in our lives, we need to wait patiently in the presence of the Lord. As recorded in Hebrews 6:12 ‘That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.’ Prayer is the only key to inherit the blessings of the Lord.

What were the results of Nehemiah’s prayer ?

Brings an answer from the King

Nehemiah 2:2,6 “Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.”

            In the above passage we see the countenance of Nehemiah was sad due to the burden of the city. We see the answer came from the King himself. The King asked Nehemiah what he wants but he did not mention his request right away. In Nehemiah 2:4 ‘Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.’ Here we see Nehemiah prayed even at the presence of the King. The short prayer paves way for a massive victory. Nehemiah’s four month long prayer as well as this short prayer changes things upside down. In Proverbs 21:1 ‘The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.’ The hands of the Lord turns the heart of the King. The mighty (Nehemiah 1:10) and the gracious hand (Nehemiah 2:8) of the Lord works for the favor of his people.

Raises a support

Nehemiah 2:18 “Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.”

                        Over here we see the people gathered themselves together to support Nehemiah. The Lord raises a banner of support for his children and makes things doable. People were actively participating on the works of the Lord. Though people were supportive there were some set of people who refused to join hands. We read this in Nehemiah 3:2 ‘And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.’ Though some people disengaged themselves from supporting, Nehemiah did not give up. The Lord God gave him adequate support to proceed and fulfill the will of the Lord. Even in our lives, we might not expect 100% support. Our Lord will send us adequate support to run what he purposed in our lives. Amen.