“And I said, ‘O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments…’” (Nehemiah 1:5).

Revere Him

There are several practical lessons to be learned not only from Nehemiah’s commitment to prayer, but from the manner of his prayer as well. The prayers recorded in Scripture are there for our instruction. Nehemiah is not being liturgical here. It’s more than a traditional salutation. He deliberately begins with an appropriate reverence to God. Nehemiah is aware of the majesty of the God he addresses. He is a worshipper first and lives aware of the greatness of Yahweh. This is a concept we easily overlook, even over-interpreting our intimacy as sons of God so that it becomes an excuse for cheap dullness in approaching him. People who are aware of God’s greatness will show it in the way they address him. Even the word awesome is pretty devalued in our day. You do not have an “awesome phone” and you have never seen an “awesome free-kick.” The KJV translation uses the word terrible. Maybe that gives us a better idea.

Remember His Greatness

Secondly, Nehemiah is reminding himself of the real situation. The temporal circumstances were overwhelming to him. If he wasn’t careful, he would simply bring that anxiety into prayer and focus upon it exclusively. This is hardly the same as prayer. My dad calls it “worrying out loud” and it is pretty fruitless. Neither does Nehemiah wallow in introspection, reflecting on his shortcomings, which is always an option. Instead he calls to mind God’s bigness and covenant commitments. We are wise to follow his example. To be continued.