On Sunday we looked at how Nehemiah responded to the news that the walls of Jerusalem were in rubble and the gates had been burned. When Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem was a mess, his response was to weep, mourn, fast, and pray for the next four months. I have a difficult time praying for our city for more than four minutes. But Nehemiah’s prayer was the outgrowth of the reality that God was doing something significant in his heart, that God was calling Nehemiah to join Him in his mission and work.
It got me to thinking about our city, and the desire we have to be a city within the city, to live as the people of God in Eureka. What if God gave us a heart for our city like Nehemiah’s for Jerusalem. So I issued a challenge, the call for us to fast and pray for our city for the duration of this series on Nehemiah. Will you join me?! My idea is that we can fast for one meal a week, and spend that time praying, seeking the face of God, and crying out for our neighbors and for the city. Ive attached a form that uses the prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11 as a model for us to follow. If you are going to join the effort, post a reply on the blog. How encouraging it would be to have a bunch of us praying for Eureka and for Genesis every week.
I plan to join the cause through fasting and prayer every Friday morning before work. Nehemiah’s story continues to reveal the result of the life-altering process of communion with God through prayer and meditation, namely how the response of God’s work in us is for the betterment of our city of Eureka through Genesis Church. I hope every member joins in Mike’s call. Let’s keep encouraging each other through the blog as a church community.
Our family incorporated a model of Nehemiah’s prayer tonight. We prayed for those that come into our paths in Eureka and for our eyes to be open to the fact that we meet these people for God’s purpose.
Nehemiah’s story was also part of our Genesis Institute class this week. This synchronization was not planned by our staff. The chapter that we studied in Institute encourages a combination of depending on God to take action and and disciplining ourselves to be part of the action.
Need to work on the fasting part. Stay tuned.