Summary Nehemiah 1-3 Nehemiah chapter 1: Nehemiah is a book all about leadership – something we obviously need today. Nehemiah got the news about Jerusalem and his immediate reaction was extreme. He didn’t just feel bad for Jerusalem and its people; right away, there was no strength in his legs and he began to weep and to mourn. God was going to use Nehemiah to do something about this situation. But first, God did something in Nehemiah. Any great work of God begins with God doing a great work in somebody. Nehemiah also had a clear understanding of whom he fasted and prayed to. There are many “gods” people trust in but only the God of heaven can really meet our needs Prayer is essential to leadership. If your vision is so big that only God can accomplish it, then you obviously must pray. If prayer isn’t absolutely necessary to accomplish your vision, your goal isn’t big enough. Nehemiah took his pain and stress to God in prayer – and seemingly, was able to leave it there. Prayer will relieve your stress. You may be trying to relieve stress through entertainment, but all that does is divert your attention. Entertainment doesn’t give any solutions to stress. Prayer will give you strength; I pray, LORD God of heaven: Humility begins by simply understanding there is a God enthroned in the heavens, and I am not Him. Nehemiah recognized exactly who God is, describing Him with many magnificent titles: LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You. Nehemiah concluded by asking God to bless him when he would soon speak to the king of Persia about the matter. Nehemiah was going to do something about the tragic state of Jerusalem’s walls and people, and he knew that without God’s intervention, he could do nothing. Nehemiah Chapter 2: The last verse of Nehemiah 1 told us that Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer – a significant position in any ancient royal court. Nehemiah understood it was not his place to change the king’s heart. He prayed and left it up to the LORD, instead of dropping hints and trying to manipulate the situation. Then one day, four months later, the king’s heart was different. Are we making the mistake of trying to change someone else’s heart, instead of leaving it up to the LORD to do it? Nehemiah explained why he was sad. Jerusalem was a destroyed, disgraced city. Nehemiah prayed and God answered his prayers by touching the heart of the King and granting it's request though they were opposition but God made everything go smoothly just because of the prayer which Nehemiah already did Nehemiah chapter 3:Nehemiah 3 is all about work – how individuals pitched in and did the work together, coordinated and led by Nehemiah.