Nehemiah prays for his people

In this 2nd part of the Nehemiah series, we look at how God uses prayer, leaders, and the circumstances of the led, to position His people.
Click here for the recording of this 11/2/25 Service, and you can fast-forward to 28:37 to get to the start of the sermon.

Our text comes from 1st Nehemiah 1.8-11

8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’

10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Introduction

• Any Christian leader is wise to remind the Lord of His word, not because God needs reminded, but because the leader, and the led, need reminded

• Satan is not threatened by Cornerstone growing numerically- he just does not want us to be united

• God positions people for his purposes- how I met Pastor Chuck Vanasse

A recap…

• Word had been brought back to Nehemiah that his fellow countrymen in Jerusalem were in great distress and that the city was in shambles

• Nehemiah is overcome with grief, weeping and mourning “for days”

• He then prayed and fasted

• He confessed the sins of his people, as well as his own

• *any leader that refuses reality is in denial

v8-9

• Nehemiah reminds God of His word-

1. Unfaithfulness (ma-al) to Him causes people to scatter

2. A return to Him causes people to be gathered to His place

v10

• Nehemiah was wise to remind God that they people belonged to God, and not to Nehemiah

• Why do they belong to God?  Because He’s the one who gave them an identity (Abrahamic) and brought them out of captivity to other nations, through His power alone

v11

• Nehemiah asks God to hear his prayers, and the prayers of the people he is leading

• These people take delight in fearing/respecting the name of God

• Nehemiah asks God to help him be successful

• He asks God to give him favor in the sight of “this man”

• Nehemiah was his cupbearer- a position that gave him proximity to the king

How this applies to Cornerstone

1. When we are faithful, God gathers

2. We we are unfaithful, God scatters

3. “Satan does not fear a large church; he fears a united church” – Dobbins

4. We belong to Him, and Him alone- our identity is in Him

5. All we are, all we have, we owe to Christ

6. The leader, and the led, are to delight in prayer and obedience

7. The wise leader allows God to place him strategically, for God’s purposes