Honor God Above All

Have you ever felt like giving up when your vision for the future is misunderstood? You passionately try to communicate the goodness and purpose you see in the days ahead, but somehow those around you have trouble grasping the vision you see.

While exploring Nehemiah 13, consider going back to Nehemiah 1 and remember his heart and desire behind rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Here at the end of the book, Nehemiah returns to find things in disarray again and the scenes and prayers may seem like Nehemiah’s passion has taken the lead over connecting with those around him. However, Nehemiah wanted his people to understand and worship God as he did. His heart for God is tender and his desire to honor God above all other gods is evident.

As you ponder these Scripture passages and think of your conversations with God, pay attention to Nehemiah 13:14, 13:22, and 13:29. Notice how Nehemiah prays with passion and humility. He asks for God to remember him for seeking holiness. Then he also prays to remember those who have dishonored the Lord, which sounds like his longing for justice. In these prayers, Nehemiah acknowledges the Lord’s sovereignty, love, mercy, and justice.

In your conversations with God, consider these questions as you pray like Nehemiah:

• Where there is passion and honesty before God, which name of God or character quality of God helps give your prayers a godly perspective?

• Which of these prayers from Nehemiah 13 do you most resonate with (13:14, 13:22, 13:29) and why?

• Try praying on behalf of others individually or a community in need. It may be your family, church, neighborhood, city, country, etc. How can you incorporate the passion and godly perspective from these prayers into your prayers?

Continue growing in prayer along this disciplemaking journey by visiting: https://www.navigators.org/youversion.