In our Chapel Service yesterday, the President of the school shared about having a holy ambition based on Nehemiah chapter 1, a book in the Old Testament. He divided his theme by sharing with us the four essential steps in pursuing a holy ambition:

• Look up to God in prayer, vs. 4-6.
• Look into the Scripture for God's agenda, vs. 7-9.
• Look around others who may be of help, vs. 10-11a.
• Look at yourself and your ability, v. 11b.

That's a nice division of the chapter. You can find all the above information from the text.

A Different Insight

As I reflect deeper on the given passage, I came up with a different insight. After doing my grammatical analysis to come up with an outline, the statements that caught my attention are the opening and the concluding verses:

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:

I was cupbearer to the king.

I think these two statements capture the message of the entire chapter. Combining them, you will come up with the title of this article, Words of Nehemiah, the Cupbearer.

The difficulty in understanding the above title particularly for non Bible readers is the unfamiliarity of Nehemiah and his position as a cupbearer. Yes, whether we take the Bible as a literature or as a historical document, we can grant that Nehemiah is a historical person. But as for his relevance for contemporary readers and his position as a cupbearer, that would require both exegetical and homiletical skills to remain true to the text as well as to the contemporary audience.

No Shortage of Words Today

If we will grant that the theme is about the words of Nehemiah, it is but proper to ask what kind of words they are. They are not just simply words. Specifically, they refer to what Nehemiah said when he prayed to God after knowing the situation of the Jewish survivors at that time and the city of Jerusalem. And so these words are "sacred words;" they are prayer words and we badly need such words in our time.

In fact, there are too much words today, but they are not sacred. Words of profanity are widespread. Words of technology and innovation are popular. Words of anxiety too are prevalent especially those who are worried about the uncertainty of the future of their family. Words of public rhetoric and political power are in abundant supply. Words of human pride are also common in most parts of human history, but when it comes to prayer words, the scarcity is obvious.

Scarcity of Prayer Words in Our Time

How do we know that prayer words are scarce in our time. I think prayerlessness is rampant these days. There is an obvious absence of prayer concerts. Talk of revival is unfashionable these days.

Yes, there are still prayer meetings in many parts of the worlds. However, if we listen and analyze these prayers, they lack the essential elements that describe biblical prayers. Most prayers today done in public services are centered on our needs. Basically, they are self-centered and as if God is treated as a vending machine. I see this as an invasion of the sacred space, that is the intrusion of self-centered words and the replacement of prayer words.