"Rebuilding the City of Our Fathers" (Part 3)

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it." (Nehemiah 2:1-5 NIV).

I hope you are following this series. However, if you are just joining Morning Devotionals you may find the other issues on the web at www.gracerestoration.org. Today we come to the second principle which is revealed in Nehemiah’s exchange with King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah had come to feel the burden of the rebuilding of Jerusalem, but he didn’t know specifically what to do until he prayed! Simply stated praying and spending time with God is essential to understanding the call from God. Success in your life depends on success in your personal time with God. If you fail in your personal devotions with God, you will fail.

Some years ago I read the experience of Jay Kesler, once President of Youth for Christ and the President of Taylor University from 1985-2000. He was on one of his frequent flights when lunch was served and the young man seated next to him declined a lunch tray. During the whole lunchtime this man sat with his head bowed, apparently in prayer. Kesler was impressed by the man's apparent devotion. He commented to the young man that he wondered if he was a Christian because it appeared that he was fasting. The young man replied with words that shook Kelser to the core of his being. "I am a Satanist and the members of my church have agreed to fast every Friday at noon. During that time we pray that the leaders of the Christian world will fall. We pray that they will fall into sexual sin, and that their family life would crumble." They understood the importance of prayer!

Before you dismiss that story as merely an isolated incident, in March, 2009 Richard Dawkins, noted atheist, began a tour across our nation’s universities evangelizing to his cause. At the end of the lectures he invites people to come forward to denounce their “faith” and be “debaptized.” They are immersed with the declaration that they no longer believe in God! Our walls have been reduced to rubble and our nation is on the brink of destruction! I fear that many in the church today have ignored the signs of our times and continue to imagine that someone else will guard their family and community. The call to rebuild the walls is clearer than ever. To succeed we must be joined in prayer and devotion to our God. Join me in commitment to daily devotion and prayer!