Let the Humility Begin

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Today's Passage> Nehemiah chapter 1
Memory Verse> 2 Chronicles 7:14

Fasting and praying seems like a lost art in our churches nowadays. It's been cast aside along with services that were held just to "tarry before the Lord", as any saint who's at least 40 years old will tell you. While tarrying may seem to have no place in our fast-paced, "give me everything now" society, we have to admit that fasting and prayer can never be replaced with any more modern Christian practices if we want to walk in true power.

One of the things fasting does is draw us out of the realm of self and into the realm of kingdom. Only fasting moves us from thinking about what WE want and what WE need to thinking about others. In today's passage, Nehemiah heard about the condition of his homeland and how the walls were broken down. But only when Nehemiah decided to fast did his heart begin to soften concerning the news. Imagine how many disturbing stories we hear on the news or from people around us from day to day. We tend to shield ourselves from these heartbreaking details, which causes us to be de-sensitized to their impact. Only fasting can remind us that our lives are not about us, but that God needs us on the wall, interceding for others.

And that's where prayer comes in. Even if we're denying our flesh the things it craves, the real power comes only when we accompany fasting with prayer -- heartfelt, sincere prayer to the Father. I have found that I wasted quite a bit of time when I tried fasting but didn't do much praying. I pretty much stayed in the carnal realm, only going through the motions rather than crucifying my fleshly desires in anticipation of what God was going to do. So prayer is what turns the focused heart on not our will, but God's will for the situation that we're praying for. Nehemiah did not only complain about the plight of the Israelites, but asked God for His answer to the situation. He was able to ask for forgiveness for not only his immediate family, but for the children of Israel as a whole. And not only that, but he went through this process for several days rather than just one. I believe this is how He tapped into the power to begin the work that lay ahead of him and his people.

We can definitely use Nehemiah as an example of how fasting and prayer prepares us for total devotion to the work that God is calling us to do. Take a look around you. What has God made you sensitive to? Is the plight of the elderly bothersome to you? Young ladies who are not getting any support while they're carrying their babies? Understand that whatever it is, you'll just end up complaining about it if you don't invite God's intervention through prayer and fasting. Total devotion to the work God is calling us to do only comes as we yield our will to the Lord's. With patience and diligence to the process of dying to ourselves, we'll begin to see the Lord move on the behalf of those we are praying for-- so let the humility begin.

Prayer: Father, we've spent so much wasted time trying to ignore the heartache and brokenness around us. Our desire is truly to see Your will be done in our lives and that of others. We bow before You now and repent for the sins of our ancestors as well as ourselves. Please forgive us and begin to break our hearts with the things that break YOUR heart. We lift up our city and ask You to repair the breach, O Most High God. Only You can heal, save and set Your people free. In Jesus' Name, Amen.