4 Elements of Spiritual Renewal

Read Nehemiah 9.

The process of spiritually righting the culture in Jerusalem continued.  They had listened and been taught the word of God.  They had celebrated the Feast of Booths for a week.  Now, it was time to go deeper in committing themselves to live for God wholeheartedly in the future.  But before making those public promises to God they devoted themselves to fasting, the Scriptures, confessing sin, and prayer.  These things were done publicly and together.

1. Fasting.

They came clothed in sackcloth with dirt on their heads as an outward sign of humility.  It was a reflection of their deep, inner feelings of sorrow for their personal sin and their national condition.

2. The Word of God.

They stood for a quarter of the day listening to the Scriptures.  An open heart, ready to hear what God has to say, is fertile soil for immediate obedience and spiritual growth.

3. Confession.

They stood for another quarter of the day acknowledging their nation's historical disobedience to the LORD and their own.  It was for these reasons that they continued to live in slavery.

4. Worship.

They prayed.  Not only is this prayer a succinct walk through the Old Testament up to this point, it is a marvelous treatise of theology.  The Person of God, who He is and how He interacts with His people, up close and personally, is not to be missed.  This is the God of the Bible.  This is the One before whom we bow.  This is the One who alone is worthy.  This is the One in whom we have entrusted our lives and our eternity.