The theme for this 7 Days of Prayer & Fasting is “Faith in the Midst of Ruins.” In Nehemiah 2:17-18, Nehemiah addresses a disgraced remnant of God’s people surrounded by the ruins of their beloved city, Jerusalem:
Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates have been burned by fire. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a disgrace.” And I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let’s arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work.
If you’ve been able to tune into the recent sermon series on the book of Nehemiah, you might recall that the Persian king had ordered a complete stop to the rebuilding of the walls due to false reports made against the Jews. Nehemiah now testifies that this same Persian king who had put a stop to the reconstruction has now ordered its completion. The reason for this change of heart was because of God’s favor. Nehemiah’s testimony stirred up faith in those who heard it and their immediate response was to put their hands to the good work. Another literal translation reads: “So they strengthened their hands for the good work,” which means they encouraged each other to do this good work.
Brothers and sisters, we need to strengthen our hands for the good work of rebuilding what the enemy continues to try and tear down – the Body of Christ. Across the globe there are countries reporting a significant rise of non-practicing Christians as well a significant decline in practicing Christians. There are also official reports of a concerning decline in church attendance and church membership overall. Some of these trends started even before COVID-19. Whatever the stats may be, what has always been true is that the enemy seeks to destroy what God has established.
Desolation, disgrace, and discouragement surrounded God’s people but Nehemiah’s faith revived them and spurred them to action. However, Nehemiah’s faith did not come from nowhere. Nehemiah spent a great deal of time in mournful prayer and fasting for the state of his nation and God’s people.
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4
How important is the revival of the church today to you?
If you believe this is important, let’s put aside a few meals this week and our own physical concerns to pray for the spiritual state of the Church.
Perhaps you also need faith in the midst of some ruins in your life. Come and join in the listening of such testimonies throughout this week.
Beginning tomorrow, Monday, May 10th, we will have the wonderful opportunity to listen to the testimonies of our brothers and sisters in Christ as they lead us in a time of prayer and fasting. The meeting will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. online, Monday through Friday (the 14th).
We will wrap-up our 7 Days of Prayer and Fasting with an evening of Praise & Prayer on Saturday, May 15th at 7:00 p.m. You can sign-up here to receive the daily online meeting link and information for the Prayer & Praise evening as well.
We hope to see you tomorrow at noon as we continue to hunger after God and His purposes for us. In the case that you cannot join us on specific days, please note that the devotional and prayer notes will be posted at 1:00 p.m. everyday right after the online meeting.
God bless you and see you tomorrow!
