Chaplain Jill’s Devo
A Cupbearer’s Prayer
(Read Nehemiah 1)
Reflection on the passage:
As fall is beginning, we are starting a new devotion series on the book of Nehemiah. This book chronicles the last segment of Jewish history that we have recorded in the Old Testament. It follows the period after the victorious Persian King Cyrus released the Jews who were exiled in Babylon and is four and a half centuries before the coming of Christ.
Nehemiah, narrator of the book, is a Jew serving as cupbearer to Persian King Artaxerxes I. As cupbearer he is a trusted official, chief financial officer, and royal beverage tester to protect the king from poisoning. But as we learn in chapter 1, Nehemiah is also a man of prayer who deeply loves and cares about his own people, the people of Israel.
When Nehemiah gets word from his brother Hanani that the Jews who had survived captivity and returned to Jerusalem (the “Jewish remnant”) are “in great trouble and shame” with the city wall and gates greatly damaged, he weeps and mourns for days while praying and fasting before God. Nehemiah’s prayer in verses 5-11, draws upon other OT passages, showing that he was very familiar with Scripture, and it includes praise, confession, reminder of God’s promises, petition, and a specific “next step” request. He asks for favor in his upcoming meeting with the king.
This reminds me of my conversations and prayers earlier this week with World Concern’s international directors and leaders. They too weep and pray for people groups – both their own and those they work among – in some of the toughest places in our world, including Somalia, South Sudan, Myanmar, DR Congo, and Haiti.
Do we weep and pray for the people here in the Northwest so in need of the gospel of Christ? Do we pray for people in the countries where our ancestors came from? Do we pray for the people of God – the Church – around the world? May we follow this cupbearer’s example, allowing ourselves to feel sorrow, to connect with God’s heart, to pray ongoingly, and even fast in prayer for people who are in need physically or spiritually.
Focus verse and questions for prayerful reflection:
“…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.” (Nehemiah 1:9 NIV)
- Think back to a time in your life when you felt like you were on the “farthest horizon” literally or spiritually. How did God “gather” you and bring you back to His chosen place for you. Talk with God about that.
- Is there a person or group of people that come to mind as you read this verse? Bring this person or group of people in prayer to God.
- Consider using Nehemiah’s prayer (vs. 5-11) as part of your own daily prayer this week.
For further reading:
Read some of the Bible passages that likely inspired Nehemiah’s prayer: Deut. 4:27; 7:9, 21; 30:1-4; 1 Kings 8:52; Ps 130:2.
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