I encourage you to read Nehemiah 1-3. Read all three chapters, then come back to chapter one and read it slowly with focus. J. Edwin Orr said, "You can expect God to move in Revival when God's people get right with Him about their sin." Nehemiah had been in captivity all his life. It might have been that he had never seen Jerusalem. But, when he heard from Hanani the condition of the city and its Jewish inhabitants, his heart was broken. He wept, fasted, and prayed for days. The first of his nine prayers can be found in chapter one. He prayed acknowledging the greatness of God. He acknowledged his sins and those of his ancestors. He reminded God of His covenant promises. He prayed the scripture and it resulted in God intervening with the Persian king and providing Nehemiah the time and resources to go and rebuild the holy city.
What will it take in your life to get you to retreat into God's presence with fear and trembling? What will it take to get you to own your sins, confess them and turn from them? What will it take for you to open your eyes to the needs around you and open yourself for God to use? Humility, submission, and prayers form the key that opens the door to revival. It can start with just one and it can transform lives, strengthen families, and unite God's people. Will you be the one through whom God chooses to bring revival and spiritual awakening to your church, community, and nation?
