Nehemiah’s prayer not only noted God’s worthiness and the nation's unworthiness, but he also admitted his powerlessness and absolute dependence on God to sort things out. He admitted that there was nothing he could do so it was up to God to do it.
I love those two-fold attitude toward prayer. “Please let Your ear be attentively those who have a heart to fear you. Let me prosper in this effort. Grant me mercy to do something about the mess in Jerusalem.”
After all Nehemiah was a key part of the king’s household. How could all this possibly workout.
Humanly speaking it couldn’t work. That's why Nehemiah threw himself on God’s mercy.
God’s mercy. If we think about it that is all the hope that any of us have, isn’t it? We are sinners saved by the grace of God alone. He doesn't owe us a thing. As recipients of His grace we have access to his mercy that is fresh every day. When we don't know what to do, when there is nothing we can do, there is something we can do. We can go, like Nehemiah, to God on bended knee and seek His mercy for the struggle or the situation or the trial we are facing. We can trust His mercy for the future unknown.
What was going to happen to Nehemiah next? He didn’t know – but he knew he could trust the mercy of God.
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