Revere His Word (Nehemiah 8:5–6)

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
– Nehemiah 8:5–6

What a scene. This is one of my favorite chapters in all the Bible because of what it shows about the supremacy of the Bible, of God’s Word. The whole scene here in Nehemiah 8 is all these people gathering together. Ezra, the scribe, brings out the Book of the Law that the Lord had commanded Israel; that’s verse one. He stands on this platform above all the people. And as he opens up the Book, all he does is open it, everybody stands. Just picture it.

He’s opened the Book, and thousands and thousands of people are standing in awe and Ezra blesses God, and all the people are shouting, “Amen. Amen”, with their hands in the air. And then they all bow their heads to the words of the Lord with their faces on the ground. All he did was open up the Book.

Nehemiah 8:5–6 teaches us to revere God’s word with our whole hearts.

And then after that, they read from the Book. They did so for hours, and all the people listened and were taught and understood it, verse eight says. And when I read this passage, I pray for this kind of reverence for God’s Word in my life and in the church I’m a part of, among us as God’s people today. Do we revere God’s Word? Does it lead us to fall on our faces and worship? And even just when it’s opened and taught in the church, are we in awe that we are hearing the voice of God?

If we’re not careful, we can become so casual with God’s Word individually and in the church. And even as pastors who preach God’s Word. If we’re not careful, we can become so casual with it. And so let’s pray in light of this picture in Nehemiah 8.

God, please teach us to revere your Word like this, to love your Word like this, to stand in awe of your Word, to fall on our faces in light of your glory revealed in your Word, to lift up our hands in light of your Word, to shout out, “Amen. Amen”, when we hear your Word, when we read your Word.

God, we pray that you would forgive us for how casual we become with your Word. God, we pray that you would help us to see in a fresh way, even today, the supremacy of your Word… And to revere it, love it, meditate on it, stand in awe of it… Even fall on our face, in light of your glory revealed in your Word.

Nehemiah 8:5–6 shows the power of Scripture to lead people into worship.

Make us this kind of people that we see in Nehemiah 8. We pray this in our own lives. We pray this over our churches, over our church families. God, help us to revere your Word.

We pray this over pastors. Help every pastor to revere your Word and proclaim your Word with reverence and awe for the Word we’re proclaiming. Keep us from mixing your Word with our thoughts. Help us just to proclaim your Word faithfully and accurately and humbly in ways that lead to this kind of worship. And, oh God, please help us to spread your Word passionately and urgently around us. God, help us to share truths from your Word, comfort from your Word, encouragement from your Word, warning from your Word.

We pray that our conversations would be saturated with your Word today among brothers and sisters in Christ and among people who don’t know Jesus. Help us to spread the good news of the Word made flesh, to share your Word today, and to spread your Word around the world. God, we pray that you’d use our lives, our resources, for the spread of the gospel. Your Word, your glory in your Word, to the ends of the earth.

Prayer for the Karan Kayastha People

We pray specifically today for the Karan Kayastha people of Bangladesh in India, almost a million Bengali-speaking men, women, and children worshiping all kinds of Hindu gods and goddesses. You alone are God. You alone are worthy. We pray that your Word would spread to the Karan Kayastha people of Bangladesh, India, and to all the peoples of the world we pray. And we pray this according to your Word in Nehemiah 8. In Jesus’ name, amen.