Nehemiah and Preparation 

In the old testament, an Israelite worked for a foreign king. This Israelite was a cup-bearer; he seemed to be well-liked by the king and lacked any sufficient reason to want to leave his cush situation. But then, Nehemiah prayed in chapter one, confessing the sins of the people on their behalf. Daniel, later in the exile, would pray a similar prayer in chapter nine, confessing the sin of his people to the Lord. 

In the midst of exile to a foreign land, destruction of their culture, and unimaginable pain, these faithful didn’t choose to hunker down and save themselves. They prayed on behalf of their people: the people who’d broken all of God’s rules. The people who didn’t listen when the prophets begged them to turn from their sins. The people who turned a blind eye to injustice for selfish gain; those people. The ones who, it probably felt counterintuitive to pray on their behalf… those people. 

I'm struck by Nehemiah’s words to God (Neh. 1:5-10)

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

Our Confession

We are not Israel; this is a different time and place. But as followers of Christ, it’s important to remember that the sin that formerly separated us from God has been removed; there are no longer any barriers that keep us from our King. You might say that we were once in exile from God, but Christ’s sacrifice has now brought us back to Him and given us a forever-home with our Maker. 

So now, more than ever, let’s pray for those who are still in exile. Let’s pray for those who may think they’re following Christ, but are actually walking in darkness. Let’s pray for the hearts of friends who’ve been broken through this past year and do not yet have the hope of Christ. Let’s till the soil with our prayers and trust that God is using this time to prepare hearts to come to Him. Let’s confess sin on behalf of our neighbors and friends and lift them up to the God who heals and completes. This prayer, this preparation, is our worship. 

Seventy years after the Israelites were sent into exile, God allowed them to return to their homeland. The prayers of the prophets prepared the hearts of the people to repent and turn from their sin while in exile, which drew them back to the Lord, who then redeemed them by giving them back the promised land. 

Confession on behalf of our people is a way to prepare for what God is going to do. It is worship to lay aside our knee-jerk reaction to fix in our own strength and instead, to trust that He will sovereignly use our prayers to prepare hearts for salvation. Now more than ever, people are asking questions about good and evil, mortality, justice; even God’s existence. Now more than ever, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest and prepare the fields as best we can. We may have to sit tight in our homes, but our prayers on behalf of students, neighborhoods, schools, cities, states, country, world… echo throughout eternity.