The Prayers of Nehemiah – Part Four; Prayers of Remembrance

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ Nehemiah 1:8-9

As we wrap up our series on the prayers of Nehemiah, we are going to look at seven prayers Nehemiah often repeated throughout his story: the prayers of remembrance.

Nehemiah used the word remember frequently in prayer (1:8, 5:19, 6:14, 13:14, 22, 29, 31). In his opening prayer, we see him asking God to remember a promise He made, not because he was afraid God forgot, but as a way to show that he believed in God’s faithfulness. In the other prayers of remembrance, he asks God to remember other people and himself.

Don’t Forget.

The idea of reminding God of something may sound audacious to us; after all, He is God. But reminding God of the promises He has made helps us remember that He is the God who can be trusted to keep His promises.

When our boys were younger, I often made promises, especially when I wanted them to behave a certain way or accomplish something. We had an ongoing commitment of reward attached to their grades when they were in grade school. They got $3 for every A and $2 for every B on their report cards. Every time report cards came out, they reminded us of our promise. They were holding on to our promise, and when they told us of it, we were faithful to fulfill our word. They never wondered if we would meet our obligation; they were exhibiting their trust in our word by reminding us.

In the same way, when we ask God to remember His Word, He is faithful to it. In Isaiah 43:26, it says, “Put Me in remembrance…” It’s not that God has forgotten, but He wants us to remember what He said in His Word. When we go to God with His Word, it builds our faith.

In Nehemiah’s opening prayer (which you can read more about HERE), he reminds God of His covenant promise to His people. By including this reminder in the prayer, he demonstrates his knowledge of God’s character and his trust in God’s faithfulness.

Remember them.

Have you ever heard or even said, “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord”? We derive this popular phrase from Deuteronomy 32 (“Vengeance is mine.”) and Romans 12:19 (“‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”) Nehemiah believes it is important to remind God of His duty to execute justice, not for God’s benefit, but for his own.

Nehemiah 6:14 says, “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done…they have been trying to intimidate me.”

This prayer of remembrance is directed to God as a reminder that Nehemiah is doing what is right and acknowledges that he is leaving the outcome to God. He was entrusting others into God’s hands for just judgment rather than trying to exact vengeance himself.

What a lesson for us to learn! I have often, in my anger over how someone has treated me, allowed my mind to wander into a place of revenge. But when I can release my emotions to God and let Him be God, I receive the gifts of peace of mind and a clean heart.

Remember me.

Out of the seven remembrance prayers, the one Nehemiah most often spoke was, “Remember me, my God” (5:19, 13:14, 22, 31).  Some people have criticized these prayers as self-glorification. But when we look at the person Nehemiah was, his knowledge of the Lord, his consistency in prayer, and his trust in the Lord, we can ascertain that self-glorification is the last thing on Nehemiah’s mind when he prays, “Remember me, my God.”

I think Nehemiah used these prayers to keep his motives for action clear in his mind. They were statements of confidence that God judges favorably those who sincerely seek to do his will.

In one of the final “Remember Me” prayers found in Nehemiah 13:13, he says, “Remember me for this my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its service.” Perhaps Nehemiah is saying this to make sure that, even though he is not perfect or without sin, his efforts and intentions were good. He is asking God to not blot out what has been done with a faithful heart and to reveal anything in his heart that needs to be brought before the Lord and dealt with.

This is like David’s prayer in Psalm 139, where he ends with, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Throughout the Bible, we see God’s people asking Him to “remember” them. They are not asking for remembrance out of fear of God forgetting; they are asking for God to touch their lives, to remind them of His faithfulness. We pray the “Remember Me” prayers, lest we forget!

Heavenly Father, teach me how to pray “Remember Me” prayers that will change my life and keep me in remembrance of You. Today I will stand upon your promises to remember me and bless me. (Psalm 115:12) Thank you for your faithfulness, for taking charge of my enemies, and for creating in me a clean heart that I might serve with sincere motives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.