“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands. “ Nehemiah 1: 5
The first thing Nehemiah did was to acknowledge God’s greatness. His most pressing concern was to praise God. We tend to focus on our problems. If God doesn’t move fast enough, sometimes we take matters into our own hands and fail miserably! The remedy for this is to hold on to what we do know, and trust God for the rest. See in the light of who He is! Let me remind you of two very great verses in the book of Jeremiah…
The second thing Nehemiah did was to be persistent. Know this… the more time spend with God, the more we become like Him. An amazing thing happens. God will give us insight on the answer, or He will guide us to the answer as we persevere! When God’s people pray, difficult decisions fall into proper perspective.
“Look down and see me praying day and night for your people Israel.” Nehemiah 1: 6
The third thing Nehemiah did was to confess his sin. Don’t play the blame game. Take personal responsibility.
“I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.” Nehemiah 1: 6, 7
Fourth, is to remind and reiterate God’s promises. It pleases God to hear that we believe. It shows Him our trust in His Word. Don’t ever hesitate to quote Scripture back to God…
“Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants.” Nehemiah 1: 8-10
The fifth and last thing Nehemiah did was to be specific.
“O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” Nehemiah 1: 11
God prepared Nehemiah’s heart. I guess some good questions to ask are… How often do you pour out your heart to God? How often do you give Him a specific request?
