![[Description of Image]: A thumbnail image featuring a symbolic representation of a journey through scripture. It includes a man wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, backpack, and a red baseball cap, holding a flashlight and pointing it towards a "door" cutout into a giant-sized Bible. The scene is set in a desert or barren land, with the sun in the distance. A white dove is also depicted in the image, representing peace and guidance [Text Overlay]: "Wednesday in The Word" live stream thumbnail with the Bible book reference Nehemiah 1:1-11 and the date May 06, 2026.](https://wedintheword.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/witw-2026-05-06-thumbnail-1024x576.png "A problem… A prayer… and The Power of God | Wednesday in The Word for May 06, 2026")
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Nehemiah Prays for His People
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.
It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel,
2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,
6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.
7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.
8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;
9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’
10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.
11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
For I was the king’s cupbearer.
Context
- What was going on in Israel at the time of this book? (Ezra 1:1-3, 6:1-7:13)
Reflection
- Who is Nehemiah? Why would God call a government worker to such a grand task? (2 Chron 16:9, Daniel 1:6, Mark 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
- Why did he weep? (Ezra 9:3, 5, 10:1, Nehemiah 1:4, Psalm 51:17, Jeremiah 9:1)
- What do we learn about him from his prayer?
- What do we learn about God? (Deuteronomy 6:21, 28:29, 30:1-5, Nehemiah 4:14, 8:6, 9:32, Luke 11:1-4)
Testimony Time
- What is it that breaks your heart? What drives me to my knees?
- How is God able to move mightily in my life? (Psalm 130:5, Jeremiah 29:11, 33:3, Luke 19:41, Acts 20:19, Romans 10:1, 2, Ephesians 3:20)