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Ebere NwankpaThe Nehemiah narrative offers a rather unique perspective of the intersection of intercession with nation-building from a scriptural viewpoint. The dispensation of Jewish history under consideration is deeply instructive regarding how God rules in the affairs of nations, using human agency and service to implement and execute His prophetic counsel. This slice of history occurred after the wholesale destruction of Judah and Jerusalem and the exile of its people to Babylon in 609 B.C. That event ended the dispensation of the continuous habitation of the promised land by the Israelites for well over a millennium. By the time Nehemiah entered the fray in 445 B.C., the captivity had been over for more than nine decades.  

Despite the passage of time and various iterations of former exiles returning home to Judah, Nehemiah’s contribution can be traced to the prophetic antecedents put in motion by Daniel’s well-informed, timely, and availing season of prayer for national transformation, more than ninety-four years before [Hyperlink of Daniel article]. Nehemiah’s story is a highlight and continuation of that prophetic intervention. This is an ample illustration of the power and endurance of prophetic prayer.

The time span and life of this sort of spiritual engagement are very dynamic and far-reaching. The dividends of prophetic prayer are paid over many decades, hundreds of years, and even millennia. This kind of lasting and sustained impact should make this level of intercession more attractive as a worthy pursuit for the investment of one’s time and effort. One would be hard put to mention any other activity that has this volume, quality, and continuous effect. This consideration does much to further a seminal and profound biblical principle. The potential of prayer to build an enduring legacy is unmatched. The possibilities here are rather significant both in quality and volume. Prayer in accordance with God’s will has both extended temporal consequences and eternal outcomes.            

As a matter of spiritual and historical context, Daniel’s prophetic prayer unleashed and precipitated several iterations of aspirational and ambitious Jewish exodus from Persian Babylon to Jerusalem. Among the most standout and successful of these were the cohort led by Zerubbabel (536 B.C.), the company that accompanied Ezra (457 B.C.), and the men that sojourned with Nehemiah (445 B.C.). The pictorial and activity depicted here furnishes a profound overview of the practical effects of prophetic prayer over time. It is an illustration of a grand perspective of God’s organization and orchestration and how the contributions of people of destiny fit into a continuing and dynamic whole.    

 

CAREER

 

The essential and pivotal part of the life and times of Nehemiah, in his own words, began when Hanani, one of Nehemiah’s brothers visited him in the citadel of Susa. Even though Nehemiah was still an exile at this point in time, he maintained a substantive and robust connection with the Jewish homeland through his own family. The allure and preferment of a high-value career in the Persian royal court did not disconnect him from the struggle and developments in Judah and Jerusalem.

As far as careers go, Nehemiah’s was a first-rate proposition. He was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. This was a position of high rank and influence in the royal court. In that epoch, the person who served the king’s wine sometimes had to taste it to ensure it was not poisoned. This meant that the person was often a trusted confidant and lieutenant of the king. It is probable that Nehemiah was an excellent confectioner and connoisseur of fine wines and that the drinks served in the entire royal court were under his professional purview. He was a man of high accomplishment and prestige, at the very top and cutting edge of his field. 

 

Despite the foregoing, it is notable that Nehemiah’s position and expertise were only incidental and marginal to the unfolding narrative. It is rational to assume that such a career would have been central to his identity and persona. Instead, it turned out to be a mere antecedent and platform for the mission and work that would define him and form his legacy. It raises the fraught and critical issue of what real value our life’s work will have when weighed in the balance of destiny and eternity. It is a question well worth contemplating for all of us.

In the meantime, Hanani brought Nehemiah some dire tidings. His report of the goings on in Jerusalem was bracing and challenging. It brought Nehemiah to the brink of a momentous career altering decision with speed and dispatch. Whereas, Nehemiah had been a deeply partisan observer of events in the homeland, the first hand news that Hanani brought changed the calculus for him and altered what was hitherto a settled disposition of high level success in exile. In other words, Nehemiah had a decision of consequence and impact to make.

 

BURDEN

 

In order to properly explore the career implications of the news that Hanani brought, it is necessary to discuss the inner workings and effect of those unpleasant tidings on Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard that the returned exiles in the province were distressed and in reproach and that the walls of Jerusalem and its gates were in ruins, Nehemiah’s professional disposition collapsed. A cloud of grief and a tidal wave of sorrow made landfall and took up emotional residence in his affections and outlook.

In Nehemiah’s own words, he mourned for days. It was a deep, poignant, emotive, and stirring engagement. Copious tears and weeping were involved. The emotional toll was comprehensive and sustained. Before long, overt spiritual activity entered the fray. Nehemiah began fasting, praying, and seeking the Lord on this head. There is something to be said for the progression of Nehemiah’s state of mind in this particular. It is very unlikely that this stirring and agitation happened without a prior and active predisposition. Nehemiah’s patriotic sentiments were of a strong and abiding vintage. Furthermore, there was a connection between this worldview and a very present and sensitive spiritual orientation.

Still, a stirring and compelling intersection of spiritual sensitivity, patriotism, bad news, and heightened emotion is not sufficient to explain Nehemiah’s reaction and subsequent resolve. Many people in Nehemiah’s situation are sufficiently engaged and exercised around the factors and metrics mentioned above without the depth of impact that drove Nehemiah to fervent and consistent prayer and action. Something more powerful, substantial and consequential was brewing.

With Nehemiah, what had begun as an emotional entanglement became definitive and possessive. Things progressed beyond the emotional and cognitive plane to the obsessive. In other words, Nehemiah developed a powerful, destiny altering and defining burden for Jerusalem. The concern and feeling for that great city, that had fallen to disrepair and disgrace took Nehemiah over. Everything else became secondary. A fundamental reordering and realignment of priorities and preferences began to take shape and escalate. Soon Jerusalem and its deplorable state took centre stage in Nehemiah’s affections.

Simultaneously, Nehemiah’s comfortable and prestigious lived reality, his job and career, esteem, and accomplishment receded and paled. The very life he was living lost its lustre and appeal. Change and transition moved from optional status to an imperative. This is one of the best examples of how a burden of spiritual consequence is developed and advanced. In this construct, deep emotion is merely an enabler and platform for weighty and far-reaching contemplation. Here, sentiment, passion and fervour engender and activate spiritual engagement. Too often, for many of us, matters of similar gravity and importance do not go beyond noisy but ephemeral feelings.       

 

PRAYER

 

It is must be emphasized that the momentous and seismic considerations of career and burden detailed above was not advanced by rational thought or logic. Such an approach would have produced a markedly different outcome. The normal progression of natural thought does not lead in the direction of such arduous spiritual endeavour and self denial. In fact, it is impossible for the human mind by itself to generate the burden Nehemiah developed. There was something entirely different at work. That outcome was precipitated and incubated by informed prophetic and consistent prayer.    

Whilst having a burden is critical to certain aspects of spiritual and prophetic activity, its existence by itself is notably a precursor to analogous and complementary activity. We have observed that Nehemiah mourned and fasted demonstrating a high level of self denial and sacrifice. Scriptural precedent and standard posits the combination of prayer and fasting as especially effective in dealing with issues of national import and consequence. Jesus noted that certain strongholds require prayer and fasting for effective emancipation.

Furthermore, fasting signals and denotes abasement and humility before God. It indicates penitence, sobriety, and contrition. It should be noted that beyond fasting these are attitudes of heart necessary for approaching God appropriately and reverently. Even so, fasting is a reliable way of demonstrating inner conviction and discipline. A ‘come as you are’ approach may work for personal pleadings, however, issues of national prominence require a more intentional and measured approach. In this context, fasting signals a disposition of serious business and rectitude.

Before iterating and discussing the components and properties of Nehemiah’s prayer, it should be pointed out that the prayer reproduced in Nehemiah chapter 1, verses 5 to 11 was by no means a one-time prayer. It is best understood as a summary or aggregation of the themes Nehemiah prayed about during this period. Indeed, verse 4 of the scripture in the preceding sentence, clearly indicates that the prayer of Nehemiah was a continuous and ongoing process. Effective prayer in this context is usually a dynamic and persistent affair that produces results over time.

The component parts of Nehemiah’s prayer are equally instructive. He markedly began with praise and worship. This principal principle is a staple of the book of Psalms, which enshrines the divine protocol of entering into God’s presence with praise. Additionally, our praise is a confession and acknowledgement of God’s objective greatness, and a recognition of our humanity and frailty. This approach frames our prayerful interaction appropriately and accurately. God is supreme, and we are His penitents and beneficiaries.   

Right after that, Nehemiah lost no time in stating that God keeps covenant with those who love and obey Him. This was a worthy and profound reference to God’s steadfast faithfulness. More than that, Nehemiah is inferring that the people of Israel for whom he was interceding, had a covenant with God. In other words, that covenant defined the relationship between God and the Israelites. Nehemiah himself was a beneficiary of this covenant. In fact, it was this covenant that gave Nehemiah the standing to treat with God on behalf of his people.

Even though as noted above, the aforementioned covenant gave Nehemiah a nominal entrée to come before God, he was quick to address the fact that the Israelites were in serious breach of it. He brought before God an exhaustive and abject repentance. He acknowledged and confessed the sins of the people and well as those of his father’s house. He owned that the captivity and exile the Israelites were experiencing was a consequence of that breach. He called on God to remember His promise through Moses that if His people repent and return to God and obey His commandments, He would gather them from where they had been scattered and bring them back to their land.

The landing point and conclusion of Nehemiah’s prayer was rather unique and curious. Rather than pray for a general exodus of Israelites from Persia to Jerusalem, he pointedly asked God for favour to discuss the matter with the king. Notably, Nehemiah was not satisfied to pray for others to take action, he prayed instead for a good reception for the action he was about to take. For him, prayer resolved in a point of personal responsibility. This example is as relevant today as it was then. We would do well to pray regarding consequential matters upon which we are willing to take responsibility and action.   

 

TRANSITION

 

With this active and fervent resolve in place, Nehemiah continued to serve in his professional capacity and position. This he did, as he awaited an opportunity, an opening, to discuss the matter with King Artaxerxes. Despite Nehemiah’s best effort, his professional demeanour was affected and implicated. Nehemiah’s burden and prayerful activity had pierced his dutiful and composed exterior. His inner anguish and perplexity could not be contained by his considerable discipline or training. The king duly noticed. There are a few things to unpack here.

There can be no doubt about Nehemiah’s competence and composure. The narrative clearly indicates that his much altered disposition in this instance was very much a singular and rare exception. It stood out precisely for reason of its rarity. In spite of this, Nehemiah could still perform his duties well. Only, it was without an abundance of good cheer. The manner and extent of the king’s interest and intervention is well worth remarking upon. Most monarchs are exceptionally busy people. They rarely make a point of observing the countenance of their servants. In the regular course of business, they are catered to and feted. Not the other way around.

King Artaxerxes flipped the script. He asked Nehemiah why his countenance was peculiar, and observed that since he could detect no physical sickness, the sombreness he was observing must be a matter of the heart. He gave Nehemiah the opening he had been seeking. Nehemiah had the floor. The king’s open handed response to Nehemiah’s potent non-verbal cues was indeed an answer to prayer.

It was the first measure of the favour he had asked for in the place of prayer. The second required another specific and targeted round of prayer as iterated in Nehemiah chapter 2, verse 4. Some context is helpful here. The matter Nehemiah was about to discuss was outside his professional frame of reference and competence. It is important to dispassionately observe here that whereas Nehemiah was emotionally invested and spiritually connected to Jerusalem, the person he was about to speak to was the king of that province, who had in his employ and under his authority officers who had direct responsibility for and cognate expertise about that territory.

Therefore, Nehemiah was stepping outside his remit in a situation where such an action had potential risks and repercussions. Also, despite the king’s favour, Nehemiah had no way of knowing how the king might react to what might be interpreted as meddling in such affairs of state. However, despite these potential pitfalls, Nehemiah sought the king’s favour and requested the king’s permission to be allowed to go back to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild it. Let’s note here the content of what Nehemiah was asking for.

First, he sought permission to leave the position he currently occupied and second, inherent in the request Nehemiah made was a profound and fundamental professional transition. He was effectively seeking permission for a professional changeover and evolution from cupbearer to administrator and builder. Moreover, there is nothing in the narrative that suggests that Nehemiah had any competence in public works and construction. He was abandoning a position of professional expertise for one in which his skill and experience was of uncertain vintage. Nevertheless, the potent combination of the burden and prayer discussed above, produced a spiritual and material alchemy that made this transition not only merely possible, but also an urgent imperative. Perhaps, it can be said that burdens of this sort can change and transform professions and careers.

In the Messianic and iconic scripture, Isaiah chapter 61, the spiritual progression at the heart of this narrative is captured memorably. Verses 3 and 4 are most instructive in this connection. The former describes a company of mourners in Zion who receive valuable items of comfort and an enhanced identity. The story does not stop there. We are told in the succeeding verse that this same cohort will ‘rebuild ancient ruins’ and ‘restore desolations’, even the ‘desolation of many generations’. This is eminent scriptural proof and principle of the Nehemiah narrative. He is merely an excellent illustration of this well established precept.

Much more than that, it is evidence that it is a principle of general application. There is a direct link between the spiritual exercise of mourning and the capacity to rise and build. Mourning incubates and generates capacity and power. It is a spiritual mystery that juxtaposes two rationally and naturally disparate ideas – mourning and capacity building. However, in God’s spiritual calculus the one leads to the other. Isaiah chapter 61 is an open invitation to all those upon whom the Spirit of God dwells to take up this mantle and exercise this principle. 

Nehemiah went on to receive the king’s permission and letters of credence to embark on this consequential venture. He effectively and successfully mobilized the remnant in Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city in record time despite intense opposition, and served for twelve years as the governor of Judah, instituting important reforms and stabilising the territory. There is a pattern here for our instruction and emulation.  

 

About The Author

Ebere graduated from the University of Ghana with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and English. He also has a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Regent University in the United States. He has more than twenty years of experience in governance, legal, and administrative matters in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He was a former Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Council and Legal Matters during His Excellency Goodluck Ebele Jonathan's presidency.

Ebere Nwankpa is a pastor, administrator, and businessman with a concerted and abiding interest in God’s prophetic counsel for Nigeria, Africa, and the world's nations. He is a member of Intercessors for Nigeria (IFN), and Intercessors for Africa (IFA). His books include Joseph - Prince of Egypt and Esther - Queen In Deed.

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