The passage in Nehemiah 1 continues by saying that Nehemiah “prayed before the God of heaven”.  This simple statement shows us that Nehemiah was keenly aware of who he was praying to.   Nehemiah was aware that God is not like us, nor limited like us, rather He is above us.  God is the one who can change and restore any and all situation.  Now, how did Nehemiah know how to approach the Lord? Perhaps it was because of his earthly profession-he was cup bearer to the king.  This meant that Nehemiah had to always be careful and aware of who he was standing before-for even a bad comment or a frown before the king of Persia could mean death.

When we consider the way we pray at times, we don’t always pray aware that we are approaching the God of heaven.  At times we can pray presuming a relational closeness that resembles a middle school BFF, or we can pray in such a relational distance that is rather cold and withdrawn.  Nehemiah’s prayer teaches us to approach the Lord as the God of heaven - the one with whom we are to be most intimate with, while at the same time receiving our greatest reverence - thus the reference to God as “the Great and awesome God”.  In the KJV, the word ‘terrible’ is used instead of ‘awesome’ in order to connote the idea of God as the great and terrifying God, who shakes the very foundation of the earth. This is the Lord that Nehemiah is dependent upon as he prays for Israel’s restoration.  It is important that when we pray, that our prayers are aligned to this truth!  That our prayers reflect that our God is the great and awesome God, instead of merely reflecting our pettiness, our shame, and our distrust.

Today as you pray, verbalize the words that Nehemiah is teaching, that God is the God of heaven, the great and awesome (terrifying) God, and may the foundation of our lives be shaken by the Lord. Let’s pray being more aware of who it is we are approaching.

-GK