Revival (Part 2): How God Works

Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.

A People of Prayer: How God Revives His Work

Text: Nehemiah 2

Introduction

Good morning, brethren.
I am grateful for this privilege to share God’s Word with you. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement, and also for the BMET Team to Japan that will be leaving later this week. If you have any feedback for me, please do let me know.

Let us open with a word of prayer.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, may Your Word be proclaimed in the power of Your Spirit, and may our hearts be opened by the same Spirit to receive Your Word. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

At a previous message, I shared the story of the 1859 Revival that began in Northern Ireland and spread throughout the UK through a resurgence of prayer meetings. Around the same time, across the Atlantic Ocean in the United States, something very similar happened.

In 1857, a businessman in New York named Jeremiah Lanphier sought to revive the dwindling congregation of the Old Dutch North Church. After months of unsuccessful invitations, he decided to hold a weekday lunchtime prayer meeting for businessmen. The first meeting had no attendees until one man arrived late. They prayed together. The following week, twenty men joined; the week after that, forty. Soon they transitioned to daily prayer meetings.

As this was happening, the United States faced its worst financial crash, leading to widespread desperation. Within weeks, three thousand people were attending lunchtime prayer meetings, sparking a citywide prayer movement. By January 19, 1858, there were twenty daily prayer meetings in New York City alone. Within six months, ten thousand businessmen were meeting daily for prayer. This led to many conversions and a broader revival across the country.

In Philadelphia, 150,000 people attended prayer meetings, and about 10,000 accepted Christ. The revival saw up to 50,000 conversions a week and possibly one million conversions overall in the United States.

1. M. Bounds, a great man of prayer, once said:

“What the church needs today is not more machinery or better machinery, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men and women of prayer whom the Holy Ghost can use—men and women mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men and women—men and women of prayer.”

Charles Spurgeon once offered to show some Sunday visitors to his church in London the boiler room of the building. The puzzled visitors followed him downstairs to a room where Spurgeon showed them hundreds gathered praying. He said, “Here is the source of our power.”

So the question before us is: How does God revive His work?

What Is Revival? (Recap)

Revival is a spiritual awakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer.
Revival is a resurfacing of a love for God and an appreciation of His holiness.
Revival is a passion for His Word and His church.
It is a convicting awareness of personal and corporate sin.
Revival is a spirit of humility and a desire for repentance and growth in righteousness.

Last month, we considered where revival begins, based on Nehemiah chapter 1. We learned from Nehemiah’s example three actions he took:

1. His concern for God’s work
2. His humbling of himself in repentance and confession
3. His prayer—fervent, worshipful, confessing, scriptural, believing, corporate, and persevering

This morning, we continue with part two, based on Nehemiah chapter 2. We will learn from Nehemiah’s example how God works through prayer, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and through personal holiness.

God Works by Opening Doors (Nehemiah 2:1–4)

When we pray, one of the ways God works is by opening doors.

In verses 1–4, God opens a door of opportunity for Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls. Verse 1 tells us that as cupbearer, Nehemiah had not been sad in the king’s presence. Any appearance of agitation in the cupbearer would have been regarded as suspicious, even suggestive of poisoning the king.

So when the king noticed Nehemiah’s sorrowful expression and confronted him in verse 2, Nehemiah became dreadfully afraid for his life. Yet Nehemiah meant no harm to the king; the cause of his sorrow was the desolation of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah assures the king of his loyalty in verse 3 and then takes the opportunity to speak about rebuilding Jerusalem. In response, the king asks in verse 4, “What are you requesting?” After Nehemiah had been praying for four months for success and mercy, God now opens the door by answering his prayer.

This is how God works in the New Testament as well. God opens doors when His people pray.

In Acts chapter 2, the disciples prayed for ten days after the Lord’s ascension, and God poured out His Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached, and three thousand souls were saved. In Acts chapter 3, God opened the door for Peter and John to preach as they went to pray. In Acts chapter 16, Paul and Silas prayed when doors seemed closed in Philippi, and God opened Lydia’s heart—and later the prison doors themselves.

This is how God works: as His people pray, God opens doors.

So consider this: when you are going through stress or sorrow and the doors before you seem closed, what do you usually do? When you feel fruitless or frustrated in witnessing, do you pray?

Paul encourages us in Colossians 4:2–3 to continue steadfastly in prayer and to pray that God may open a door for the Word.

Hudson Taylor realized that the gospel spreads only by prayer. He once wrote to a missionary hoping to evangelize an entire Chinese province: “If you are going to take that province, you will have to advance on your knees.”

God Works by Giving Boldness (Nehemiah 2:4–8)

After the king asked Nehemiah what he wanted, Nehemiah sent a quick arrow prayer to God. He then made a very bold request—to be sent to Jerusalem to rebuild it.

This was bold because Nehemiah was effectively asking the king to reverse a previous decree to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem, recorded in Ezra 4. Opposition had convinced the king that the Jews would rebel if the city were rebuilt.

Yet because Nehemiah’s request was in line with God’s will and timing, God granted him favor in the king’s eyes. The king not only approved the request but also supported it by providing letters for safe passage and resources.

Nehemiah’s boldness was admirable, but it was founded on prayer. He waited for the right opportunity and then spoke up for God’s work.

Consider this: do you lack boldness to speak up for the Lord even when opportunities arise? Do opportunities slip by because you are uncertain of God’s will or because you have not been praying?

God does not ask us to do things in our own strength. If we pray, He will give us boldness. This applies to our personal evangelism as well.

God Works by Giving Wisdom (Nehemiah 2:12–16)

God also gave Nehemiah wisdom. Nehemiah records that God had put into his heart what to do for Jerusalem.

He showed wisdom in requesting letters of permission and in thinking through the resources needed. He demonstrated discretion by surveying the damage at night, diligence by personally inspecting the most damaged areas, and discernment by keeping his plans to himself until he had gathered the facts.

Likewise, wisdom is required in revival and gospel outreach. Do we know the state of the walls of our assembly and of our individual lives? What areas require repair?

If our gospel meetings have only empty seats or saints, then we are not sowing seed because unbelievers are not hearing the gospel. We must build relationships, get alongside pre-believers, and share Christ where God has placed us.

Gospel outreach does not begin only in distant mission fields—it begins in your backyard.

God Works Through His Spirit, Not Our Strength

God does not ask us to do His work in our own wisdom or strength. He works through us.

Twice in Nehemiah chapter 2, Nehemiah speaks of “the good hand of my God upon me.” This reminds us of Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.”

In the New Testament, Jesus says, “I will build My church.” Revival happens when we allow God to work through the power of His Spirit.

As planners, we may try to control outcomes, but that often prevents us from experiencing God’s unexpected and greater work. Revival comes when we depend on God in earnest prayer.

God Works Through Personal Holiness

Along with prayer and the Spirit’s power, personal holiness is essential.

Nehemiah’s godliness is evident throughout the chapter. He trusted God, sought His help, gave Him the glory, and rebuked opposition with confidence.

Prayer is not about numbers—it is about how we pray. Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 2 that we are to lift holy hands in prayer. Psalm 66 warns that cherished sin hinders prayer. James tells us that the fervent prayer of a righteous person has great power.

If we are honest, we know that our lives do not always reflect the faith we profess. God may already be pointing to areas that need repentance. Yet the blood of Jesus cleanses us from every sin.

As we deal with sin, our love for Christ deepens, and our prayers gain power.

Praying with Faith

As we close our meditation on Nehemiah chapter 2, let us pray with faith and without doubting, as Jesus teaches in Mark 11 and John 14.

Believing prayer was a hallmark of the 1857 New York revival. As faith grew, people prayed specifically for salvation—and God answered.

Nehemiah is a story of God at work. This is what we want above all: the presence of God Himself at work among us.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word and the testimony of Nehemiah. May Your Spirit work in our hearts and through our lives. Help us who are spiritually apathetic to have concern for Your work; help us who are proud to be humble; help us who are prayerless to be prayerful. As we pray, grant us open doors, boldness, and wisdom, and work through us by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Enable us to live lives that are holy and pleasing to You. Revive us, we pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.