A Strong Foundation - Nehemiah

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4

Scientists who monitor the Leaning Tower of Pisa say that it’s only a matter of time before the famous structure falls over. The 179-foot tower moves about one-twentieth of an inch a year, and it is now more than seventeen feet out of plumb.

In truth, the tower began falling over before it was even completed, partly because it was erected on soft ground (the word pisa means “marshy land”) and partly because its foundation is only ten feet deep.

Nothing good comes of building on a faulty foundation—in construction or in our faith. Nehemiah understood both aspects of this principle.

Nehemiah had taken on a huge task. While he faithfully served a pagan king hundreds of miles from his ancestral homeland, he learned that the dilapidated walls around Jerusalem had left its Jewish residents vulnerable to attack. The news alarmed him, and he knew that something had to be done about the situation.

But what could he do?

Absolutely nothing—until he talked to God about the crisis. Nehemiah didn’t utter a quick “help me, Lord” kind of prayer, either! He offered the kind of prayer that God delights in answering.

He praised and worshiped God. It was Nehemiah’s personal habit to address God relationally through meaningful praise and worship.

He confessed his sins and the sins of his people. Nehemiah recognized that his people’s sin had put them in their present situation. He also knew that God wanted to restore what had been lost.

He thanked God for all things. Nehemiah knew that God would finish what he had started, and he thanked him for all that he had already done.

He made his requests known. Nehemiah had a sense of mission and of his need for God’s empowerment. He didn’t rush into the task before first pleading for God’s favor (see Nehemiah 1:5-11).

God has given you the privilege of building an unshakable foundation for everything you do. When you go to him in prayer, praise him, confess your sins, thank him, and tell him exactly what you need. He will richly reward your attention to these details.