Nehemiah prayer
Nehemiah gives us a model of how to pray taken from his first prayer in Nehemiah 1.4-11.
Nehemiah had a great concern and burden and he took it first to God.Not his friend,colleague,housemate etc.He took in prayer to God. How many times do you go to God in prayer first...be honest. Nehemiah evaluated, sat down and assessed what he should do.
Stage 1: Reverence
Nehemiah 1:5 AMP
And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God,
Who keeps covenant, loving-kindness, and mercy for those who
love Him and keep His commandments,
Acknowledge the God you serve and who God is initially.
Stage 2 : Confession and Repentance
Nehemiah 1:6-7 AMP
Let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to listen to
the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You day and night for the Israelites,
Your servants, confessing the sins of the Israelites which we have sinned against
You. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the
commandments, statutes, and ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.
Though,not physically there Nehemiah acknowledged that he was a part of his peoples burden and problem. Having a heart of gwnuine repentance and coming to God broken is what God longs for.
Psalm 51:9-10 AMP
Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right,
persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.
Stage 3 : Promise of God
Nehemiah 1:8-9 AMP
Remember [earnestly] what You commanded Your servant Moses: If
you transgress and are unfaithful, I will scatter you abroad
among the nations; But if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them,
though your outcasts were in the farthest part of the heavens [the expanse of outer
space], yet will I gather them from there and will bring them to the place in which
I have chosen to set My Name.
Know the promises of God and refer them in prayer.
Stage 4 : prayer of petition
Ask God exactly what you need, be specific and believe that God will meet your need. Amen
God's word is forever settled in heaven and does not change. I was amazed seeing that Nehemiah's pattern of prayer was in line with the Lord's prayer that Jesus taught in Matthew 6:9-13. Indeed God is a God of principles and if we follow His principles we are sure to reap the benefits.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ugo, I think we (I should speak for myself )sometime forget that if we only follow God's principles which are so easy and simple....no guess work! Learn to WAIT, TOTALLY TRUST & BELIEVE no matter what the situation/s look like, God WILL answer in HIS time!!
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for this teaching! Learning & refreshing...good stuff!