A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.
4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said,
“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, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 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.’
10 “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. 11 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.”
In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer. Nehemiah 1:4-11 (NLT)
Nehemiah received bad news from his homeland. What was the first thing he did?
After mourning, then what?
As you read this prayer of Nehemiah, what are the components to his prayers?
First he praised God and worshiped who he was.
Then he confessed his sin and the sin of the people.
Next he remembered God’s promises.
Then he asked God for what he wanted and he was pretty specific.
There isn’t a right way to pray but I love that Nehemiah’s prayer focused on God. It was about who God was, what he said he wanted in his people, what he promised he would do and then Nehemiah asked him for something seemingly impossible believing he could do it.
When we come to God, are our prayers more about him or us?