Nehemiah 1

In Susa, Nehemiah learns from his brother Hanani that the survivors in Jerusalem are in great trouble and shame, its wall broken down and its gates burned. He sits down and weeps, mourning and fasting for days, and prays a model prayer: praising the great and faithful God, confessing the sins of his people and himself, pleading God’s promises, and asking success as he prepares to approach the king. His grief becomes intercession, and his intercession becomes resolve.