Nehemiah’s Prayer

O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.

I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, `If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

Nehemiah, after hearing of the struggle of those who had escaped captivity and were in Jerusalem in a city that was broken and in ruins, wept bitterly and mourned for days.  He fasted and prayed and constantly came before God.  His prayer is an example that we may want to consider.  There are many elements similar to the prayer Jesus taught.

 

 

Great and Awesome God – He acknowledged the greatness and magnificence of God.  He identified who God is in all His glory.

 

Keeps Covenant and steadfast love – He acknowledged what God does and His character.  God keeps His promises and always loves.

 

Let Your Ear be Attentive – He asked God to hear him as he prayed.  Is this part of His prayer necessary?  God is already listening and attentive to those who love Him.  But this may be a request to express from the heart of the pray-er how important this is.

 

Night and Day – Nehemiah did not simply offer up one prayer and then move on to other things.  This was a prayer he would be persistent in and not let go.  This is much like the parable of the women seeking justice from the judge who did not fear God.  If it is important we will continue to lift up the prayer day and night.  When we lie awake in the middle of the night our heart will turn to prayer.

 

I have sinned – Nehemiah confessed to God how badly he offended and let Him down.    He confessed for His people and himself.  This is important to acknowledge that we are not deserving or righteous on our own but in great need for forgiveness.

 

Remember the Word – Nehemiah reminds God of what He has said and promised through Moses.  Was this necessary?  I think this serves as a reminder more for the pray-er of who God is and what He has said and promised than a reminder to a forgetful God.  It is a good thing to speak forth what God has promised for it will increase our own faith.

 

Give Success and Grant Mercy in this Matter – This is the request and it comes at the close of the prayer.  Our needs should be placed secondary to God’s will always.  Nehemiah placed this after the praise of God for who He is and what He does.  But yet I believe this prayer was stirred within His soul by God Himself.  This prayer was already in God’s good and kind will.  Nehemiah’s humility and desire to seek after and please God enabled Him to see with vision the plight of God’s people and the will of God towards their restoration.

 

And Jesus taught:

 

“This, then, is how you should pray: “`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ‘

There is great joy and blessing in prayer.  Let’s keep drawing closer.

 

Scott for Wellspring Copyright 2008

Forget what is behind

“One thing I do: “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.  Philippians 3:13-15  (ESV)

The apostle Paul knew the secret of moving forward.  After his dramatic conversion and subsequent call to bring the gospel to the the non-Jews of the world, Paul’s life took on a laser focus.  He was a man who knew where he was going and nothing was going to deter him from his mission.  Life was too short to get distracted from lving fully and completely for Jesus.  His secret? 

Forgetting what is behind. 

Seems pretty simple doesn’t it?  Just leave what’s in the past in the past.  It may sound simple, but for so many, it’s much easier said than done.  I have spent the last several years meeting with people in counseling or mentoring situations and I can confirm from those conversations and from my own life that moving forward is sometimes not an easy task.

Our past has a way of seeping into our present lives primarily when we fail to do the proper work of grieving losses, letting go of failed dreams, and refusing to forgive ourselves and others who have hurt us.  This work is not always easy, which I suppose is why so many fail to engage in it.  On the surface it seems easier to hold onto the mantra “I don’t live in the past, I live in the present” without actually forgetting what is behind.  We can be pretty convincing to even ourselves, but our thoughts, actions, and the way we relate to those around us always reveal the true state of our heart and whether or not we are living unhindered by our past. 

Do you often find yourself fearful about life?  You haven’t let go of the past

Do you find yourself with an obsessive need for control in certain areas?  You haven’t let go of the past

Do you find it difficult to open up emotionally in relationships with others?  You haven’t let go of the past

Do you harbor resentment toward others and you don’t know why?  You haven’t let go of the past 

This is just a beginning list that may indicate that you have some things to forget from your past so you are truly free to “press on toward the goal” that God has called you to pursue.   Are you ready to do the hard work of forgetting what is behind?

“Let those of us who are mature think this way” Philippians 3:15

Dave for Wellspring C 2008