Nehemiah 1:1-2:9

Go Deep

(Nehemiah 1:1-2:9)

What is the setting – time, place, situation – in which Nehemiah 1 takes place? How is this setting similar to ours? How is it dissimilar?

Read Nehemiah 1:1-2:9 and list every action Nehemiah took.

Do you think that Nehemiah’s prayers in any way affected Nehemiah’s actions? In your own experience, has prayer been a substitute for, or a stimulus to, action?

Nehemiah had always known there were Jews living in and around Jerusalem and he had known that the city had been destroyed. Why was he now moved to emotion and to action?

How long did Nehemiah pray before saying anything to the King? Why did he continue praying? Do you think anything was happening during this time of prayer and, if so, what?

Look throughout the book for evidence that Nehemiah was a man of prayer and list what you find. (For starters see: 2:4; 4:4, 9; 5:19. There are more.)

Look throughout the book for evidence that Nehemiah was a man of action and list what you find. (For starters see: 2:5, 11, 17-18, 2:12-13. There are more.) Can a person be inclined to action and prayer?

Do you think the time spent praying and thinking prepared Nehemiah for what God was going to do? How might it have prepared him?

Read Nehemiah’s prayer in 1:5-11. What insights do you gain? What questions does this prayer raise? Do you see any parallels between this prayer and the prayer the Lord taught us (Matthew 6:9-13)?

Read Colossians 4:2-6. Do you see any parallels between what Paul says here and what we have seen in Nehemiah’s life?

What, if any, connection might exist between Nehemiah’s prayer times mentioned in 1:4-5 and the spontaneous prayer of 2:4?

Is there anything in Nehemiah 1:1-2:9 that could be applied in our lives and church? Be specific.