Fasting Part 8

In preparation for the Easter fast ( which I encourage you to begin after your Good Friday worship service today and continue until after your Easter morning service)  I have been sharing some devotional thoughts with you concerning the Christian discipline of fasting.  I hope they are helpful as you embark on your fasting journey.

Today, I would like to continue discussing the prayer and fasting of Nehemiah as found in the first two chapters of the Book of Nehemiah

Nehemiah was greatly bothered by the broken down walls and gates of Jerusalem (let’s call Jerusalem a type of the Church capital C) Please note that he didn’t have to be bothered by that news, I mean his walk with the Lord was exemplary. His relationship with the Lord was very good! He had a good job in the kings court many miles away from Jerusalem. Why not just live his life as is? It’s not his concern, right?

But it is! He rightly saw the church as his concern, and guess what? The Body of Christ is your concern and my concern as well!  We ARE our brother’s keeper! There is a breach in the wall, the gates are down. The world has broken into the church in the form of compromised morality.

Jas 4:4 calls us to task on this matter, it says, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Many of God’s commands have become God’s “suggestions,” Sin is generalized! Instead of our specific sins being put under the blood of Jesus, we sweep them under the rug with a shrug. But oh, that we would have the heart of David, who, when confronted with his specific sins with Bathsheba said,  "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (2 Sam 12:13)

  

During this fast, let us take some time and allow the Holy Spirit to dig under our personal lumpy rug and the lumpy rug of the Church. Let us use the prayer of Nehemiah as a guide.

His first step in fixing the problem was to go before the God of heaven. The God of the dispensary of grace and all things needful, and he prayed and fasted before Him.

Listen to his prayer as found in Neh 1:5-11: “And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God”  (everything in that opening line acknowledges that God is bigger than the problem!)  “who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments,”  (next, Nehemiah let’s God know that he is very much aware of God's faithfulness to His Word.  He is also aware of the responsibilities of God’s people. They are to love God and keep (treasure) His commandments.

“Let (allow) Your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night.”

The mention of the ears and eyes of God link prayer and fasting. God hears the prayer of the heart and lips,  but He also sees the prayer of fasting. This wordless prayer of the fast, is with Nehemiah day and night as he forsakes physical nourishment!

Remember the sermon on the mount as it regards proper prayer and fasting? What did Jesus say? “And Your Father who SEES (your fasting) in secret will reward you.”  Nehemiah was simply stating the promise expounded on by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  

 He then goes on to confess the sins of the church, “confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which WE have sinned against You. Even I (he makes it personal!) and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept (treasured) the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded Your servant Moses.

Nehemiah acknowledges the sins of the people, lumping himself in with them, and linking them to God’s commandments! He makes it clear that he and his father’s generation are also guilty.

Walls don’t fall down overnight people! They deteriorate over time.  The reason the walls are broken down and the world has flooded the church, and the gates have been opened is because he, his father’s house, and all the people (you and I) have gotten sloppy over time with the Word of God.

This Good Friday, as we contemplate the love of Christ on the blood stained cross of Calvary, and as we begin our Easter fast, let’s purpose in our own hearts to be honest about our own sins and the sins of the Church. Let’s confess them and hear the sweet words of the Gospel as spoken by Nathan to David: "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

Father, move us to mourn and fast for Your church wherever She may be in shambles and look to You for our help in rebuilding the walls and the gates of Your city!