(Nehemiah 1:4-11)

I. The condition of man and conception of God (1:4-5)

A. “Wept, and mourned…fasting and praying” (1:4; cf. Romans 9:2)
B. “LORD God of heaven” (1:5)

II. Persistence (1:6)

A. Appeal for God’s attention (cf. Isaiah 59:1-2; 1 Peter 3:12)
B. “Day and night” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Nehemiah 2:1)

III. Contrition of heart (1:6-7)

A. Nehemiah prayed for Israel and confessed their sin
B. Nehemiah acknowledged his own failings (cf. Isaiah 6:5; 1 John 1:8)

IV. God’s character (1:8-10)

A. God’s promise – “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter…if you return, I will gather” (1:8-9)
B. God’s possession – “Your servants…Your people” (1:10)
C. God’s pattern – “whom You have redeemed” (1:10)

V. God’s providential work (1:11)

A. Asked for “mercy in the sight of” Artaxerxes the king
B. We should pray that the government acts in such a way that opens doors for the people of God (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-4)