We continue to study the Book of Nehemiah and its recovery temple project in Jerusalem. In the first half of the restoration journey, the people of Israel had completed the broken wall and gates of the tabernacle in fifty-two days under the leadership of Nehemiah. That impossible blueprint had been possible with God’s presence, protection, and provision. Last Sunday, we began looking at the second half of the temple renovation. Nehemiah and the people of Israel wanted to restore the damaged temple within themselves, in other words, their spiritually destructive hearts. They had been influenced by the foreign culture and lifestyle during Babylonian captivity. At God’s designated time, they returned to their homeland and rebuilt God’s dwelling place in Jerusalem. After that, as God’s chosen people, they asked Ezra, the priest and the teacher of the law, to bring out the Word of God to them. All the people read the Word through him day after day at the House of God. They mourned themselves over their sinfulness while reflecting on God’s Word. Furthermore, they became joyful in God’s forgiveness and strength through their sacred devotion.

In our text for today, once again, the people of Israel gathered at the temple while fasting, wearing sackcloth, and putting dust on their heads. This expression we heard this morning is similar to what we, as Christians, have traditionally done during Lent. We, as Christ’s church, used to receive ash on our foreheads on the first Sunday in Lent. As you know, Lent is the preparation period for the Lord our Christ, starting Ash Wednesday until Maundy Thursday. During those 40 days, we are encouraged not only to anticipate Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday but also to participate in Christ’s death on Good Friday. Placing ashes or dusts in the shape of the cross in our physical temple symbolizes a couple of things. First, we reveal our sinfulness before Christ, who died for our sins on the cross. Second, we confess our brokenness or immortality since we eventually go back to ashes or dusts when we finish our earthly pilgrimage. Third, we expect to have a new adventure in Heaven when we are called to be with the Lord. Before Christ’s public ministry, Jesus had fasted and prayed in the wilderness for 40 days. He had encountered spiritual opposition and overcome the devil’s temptations with the Word of God and in prayer.

In our Old Testament reading, the people of Israel would have shown this future image of the New Testament’s Lenten practice. Again, the temple restoration within the people of Israel started with God’s Word and their petitions to the Lord. The Levities spent some time reading the Word. The Levites also spent some time praying to God. The people of Israel joined them in those prayers as they came together as one to the reading event at the temple.

In our kids’ story, we learned one method of prayer by using our five fingers. Each finger represents a group of people we like to pray for. In this sermon, we will examine another model of prayer called the ACTS. The acronym ACTS stands for “adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.” This form of prayer has been presented in Christian worship services for a long time. It is an excellent way for us as Christ’s followers to focus our hearts in worship on Who God is and what He has done. This morning I want us to explore the Israelite prayers which is, considered the longest petition in the Bible. I also want us to look back on our prayer lives and apply these divine principles to our Lenten journey.

Let us start with Adoration for God that the Levities made in this petition. They began to praise the Lord who is from everlasting to everlasting (Nehemiah 9:5). They adored the Creator God for making the heavens and the earth and governing the whole universe (Nehemiah 9:6). They exalted the Glorious Name of God who gave them life and controlled every matter. They recognized God’s characteristics and revealed them in their adoration and praise. They recounted God’s attributes while recalling the events between calling Abraham to go to the Promised Land and helping his descendants settle in that Assured Place. They believed only God was worthy to receive all their compliments.

How are we doing regarding our prayer lives? Do we give all our adorations and praises to the Lord our God? I remember the story of Leonardo Da Vinci, who painted the Last Supper. In his painting, he drew one cup in detail and placed it in front of Jesus sharing the bread and wine with His disciples at the table. When people viewed that magnificent painting, many made a comment that the cup was drawn wonderfully. They wondered who painted that detailed cup. Leonardo did not like that feedback since his main focus in the drawing was Christ, who shed His blood and broke His body on the cross. So he decided to erase the cup and remade the painting empathizing Christ alone. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” Only God can be praised in glory and songs. Let us remember who God is in our prayers. “Lord, you are the Creator. You are the Everlasting Father. You are Might, Powerful, Faithful, Compassionate, Forgiving, Loving, Graceful God.” We are all here today because the Lord our God has sustained our lives through His divine nature.

Secondly, let us look at the second letter, C, in the acronym ACTS. It is confession in the prayer of the people of Israel. They changed their tones from praising God to confessing their sins before Him (Nehemiah 9:16-17). They described themselves as “Arrogant, stiff-necked, disobedient” people. They admitted how sinful they had been after listening to the Word of God. When we read this prayer carefully, we may notice or discover the repeated conjunction “but,” which is stated between the important statements. The Levites praised how wonderful God was and what marvellous things God had done for the people of Israel. After that, they put this conjunction, “but,” and described the contrary situation of the people of Israel. Their disobedience and rebellion not just occurred before they were called to be God’s chosen people but also took place after they entered the promised land and enjoyed God’s blessing there. This type of forgetfulness or ungratefulness happened again and again.

Sometimes we may wonder why the people of Israel repeatedly made the same mistake. How come they would have quickly forgotten God’s mighty and merciful things over them and would have made the same mistakes? We need to remember that we could be the people of Israel in this holy text for today. We need to ask ourselves an honest question: How prone are we to failures, shortcomings, wrongdoings, and so on when we are given the circumstances? Please understand this: I am not saying that we, as Christ’s followers, are becoming worse than before. Not at all! What I am sharing today is that the longer or closer we walk with God, the more or deeper we are aware of our own sinfulness. In a spiritual manner, this holy observation would help us become more mature people of God. Confessing what, how, and where we have failed before the Lord is a critical part of our faith journey. As I stated before that, true repentance requires us to have three contents: acknowledgment or awareness of what we have done wrong, mourning or crying over our shortcomings, and a firm decision to turn from the sinful path we have walked on to the divine direction God has shown us to follow. All these procedures of repentance need to be done by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one awakening us of our mistakes. The Holy Spirit is the one giving the proper counselling and guidance over our brokenness. The Holy Spirit is the one helping us fight against the spirit of evil. In a way, we are all broken and damaged in spirit. We have been lost one way or another. God wants to heal the brokenness and damage within us and our loved ones. The starting point of this divine recovery ministry is, once again, a humble and honest confession before the Lord.

Thirdly, the people of Israel made a thanksgiving list of what God had done for them over the years. They were grateful in everything – the good or even the challenges. The people of Israel remembered God’s presence. When they cried out to God when they were in bondage in Egypt, God had been there with them. When they cried out to God when they struggled with a lack of resources, God had provided them with things, such as manna, water, a pillar of cloud and fire, and so on, for forty years in the wilderness. When they cried out to God when they were fearful of their enemies and uncertain future, God had protected them from danger. God parted the Red Sea for the people of Israel and gave them the Assured Place called Canaan. Then God allowed them to go back to their hometown and helped them restore the temple. In the prayer, the people of Israel counted one by one what God had done for their country, community, loved ones and us.

Are we complainers or grateful people in prayer? I remember the story of the thanksgiving thorns bouquet. One lady came to the flower shop and asked the owner to provide thorny rose stems without flowers. The same order from her had taken place repeatedly. The flower shop owner asked her why she would like to have the thorny stems. The lady shared her Aha moment of giving thanks to God in a challenging situation. She took many good things for granted and never thanked God for her thorns, in other words, her pain or discomfort. However, one day she realized that the challenging situations she had been in had helped her to have relied on God more than before and have experienced God’s mercy and might in her spiritual race. Think about how many blessings we have received from the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of our God-given precious lives. Whether we realize it or not, giving thanks to God is spiritual medicine. When we count one by one in our prayers what God has done, the Lord will place a spiritual brick of significant satisfaction in our God-blessed temples. When we consider one by one even the challenges we have experienced in the past, we are facing today, we may encounter in the future, the Lord will put a divine wall of supernatural strength in our God-given hearts. Practicing gratitude to God in everything will completely change our perspective and make us far more grateful people of God.

Fourthly, the people of Israel made a supplication which is the last letter S in the acronym ACTS. After the people of Israel finished this prayer by praising the Lord, confessing their sins and thanking God, they revealed what God wanted to do for them by saying: “We are slaves today… we are in great distress…” (Nehemiah 9:32-27). Did we notice the change in pronouns here? The people of Israel have used the “they” and “them” terms. Now we heard about the “we” and “our” words. Once again, the people of Israel confessed their wrongfulness and cried out to God for His help and power to restore the brokenness or damage they had felt in their own minds (Nehemiah 9:28). They kept believing that God would hear from heaven and in His compassion the Lord would deliver or rescue them one more time. They believed in the God of the second chance, the third, the fourth and the unlimited opportunities once they came boldly to His throne of grace and asked for what they needed (Hebrews 4:16). Even in the difficult situation they were in, they knelt before the Lord and made humble and honest supplications to God for His protection, provision, and presence for their loved ones and themselves.

Friends, how are our God-inherited visions and dreams doing? How are our New Year’s Resolutions doing? How are our spiritual reformation plans doing? Are we satisfied with the outcomes we have got so far? Are we disappointed or discouraged with the results we have viewed within us and from our loved ones? As I have mentioned before, no one in this world can become righteous on their own. Even the Apostle Paul cried out to God due to his human limitation. He really wanted to do what was good before the Lord (Romans 7:18). However, he discovered that the evil spirit inside him would cause him to do something wrong before God. Paul cried out to Christ who would understand and help him to overcome this spiritual bondage. Later, he received God’s answer, found himself free, and declared there was no condemnation in Christ Jesus who gave him the ability to fulfill his spiritual recovery project if you will. With that confidence, Paul encourages us as Christ’s followers to come to Jesus, the Highest Priest, who understands our weaknesses, and ask Christ to help us to accomplish whatever challenges our loved ones and/ or we may have today.

As the famous poem, Footprints in the sand, describes God’s nature, we need to remember the Lord carrying us now if we wonder why there is one footprint in our walk with God. My favourite scripture taken from Isaiah 41:10 echoes this image of God: “So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” We tend to think that God may be distant from us if we give up on holding His hand. Please see the connection what I am demonstrating between God and us. Even if we release our hands from the Lord, God still holds our wrists. God is over our shoulders and wants to provide things our loved ones and we need and protect our loved ones and us from spiritual opposition. Friends, God wants us to keep believing in His Might and Mercy and expecting a great thing from the Lord and attempting a great thing to the Lord until we are wholly sanctified.

To conclude, let us ask ourselves today and in the coming days whether we have a heartfelt desire to fulfilling our spiritual restoration. Let us question whether we have a pure longing to help our loved ones’ spiritual recovery. If so, remember that the initial step for this is with the Word of God and our petitions to the Lord. In the upcoming days of Lent, we can decide many things to receive the Crown and Cross of Christ Jesus. Shall we make a simple and sincere decision to have daily devotion with the Awesome and Great God during the season of Lent? Read the Word of God, respect the Word and rejoice in the Holy Scripture. Adore who God is, confess what we have done wrong before Christ, give thanks to the Lord and make supplications for our loved ones and us. Amen!

* In this sermon, I have used some thoughts from the preaching based on Nehemiah 9:1-37.