Those Who Desire

JULY 30, 2024

 “O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name…” (Nehemiah 1:11)

Nehemiah is very earnest in his prayer to the Lord on behalf of the remnant who were left of the captivity, who were experiencing great affliction and reproach. When he learned of the sufferings of the Jews that had escaped, and of the condition of the beloved city of Jerusalem he “wept and mourned and fasted and prayed certain days.” His prayer was one of penitence as he, like Daniel, calls upon God to intervene for the relief of His people and for the restoration of the city. He was filled with emotion while appealing to God to remember His covenant. (See verses 5-10)

Nehemiah, being moved to tears and prayer, seems confident that he is not alone bearing this great burden. “Let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name…” Zephaniah had prophesied at least 150 years before about a remnant who were “sorrowful for the solemn assembly.” Here Nehemiah describes these people to the Lord as“thy servants who desire to fear thy name.”

He is not talking about a people who are weak. There could be no better description for the true people of God than this: “Thy servants who desire to fear Thy name.” The meaning of the word “desire”includes “to delight in;” “to have pleasure in.” This kind of earnest desire is of the essence of genuine faith. Whether one is a babe in Christ or a mature saint of fitly years, heart desire is a key element in true religion. Practice without desire is mere formalism. Regardless of what one’s religion may consist with respect to mechanics, ceremony, creed, liturgy, or form if it lacks this one intangible element, it lacks the vital part. If the heart is not engaged, it is just “a form of godliness.” What is church attendance without desire? Where desire for the assembly is wanting, it will be evident. Want of punctuality, lack of participation, chronic absenteeism, and prioritizing secular interests, are all tell-tale signs that real desire to fear the Lord is missing.

Even the most outwardly diligent Christian can have a very legalistic form of sanctification, while they inwardly regret what they are missing out on in the process. Church attendance is a duty; prayers, rather than being heart-felt expressions of earnest desire, are mere recitations; Bible reading is as if it were a homework assignment; offerings are given with tear stains rather than cheerfully; separation lacks both hatred for the works of darkness and desire for fellowship with children of light. Our faith must be more than mere custom and tradition dutifully carried out. Those who “desire to fear the Lord” are not “serving a sentence,” as it were but rather, they are serving an all-glorious God of love and grace with great pleasure and delight.

What if we should find ourselves in a situation such as this “remnant that was left of the captivity”? They saw their beloved city in ruins. The walls were torn down, and the city was burned with fire. The house of God was destroyed. Would we be like them, “mourning for the solemn assembly”? Would we be joining in prayer to God for the restoration of worship? Would we be willing to “put feet to our prayers” and engage in the arduous task of rebuilding? Would we be bold to face the mocking and ridicule that they endured, plus threats on their lives from the enemy? They persevered in their faith, prayers, and labors until they could once again assemble for worship.

The truth is we are not in their situation in any literal sense. We have access to all these things and we face very little opposition. Do we “desire to fear the name of the Lord?” In a spiritual sense, we are in a like condition. Orthodox religion has been seriously compromised. There seems to be little fear of God remaining. The walls of separation from the world lie in heaps, and we see it even in our own churches. Let us “who desire to fear God’s name” give ourselves to prayer. Let us unite behind faithful leaders like Nehemiah and give ourselves not only to prayer, but labor to see, by the grace of God, our city (the church) and our walls (of separation) restored.