Focus passage: Nehemiah 1
One of the most compassionate things that you can do is to pray for others.
The question for many people is “what do I pray?” I remember talking to a member of my congregation whose best friend was in the hospital. She desperately wanted the Lord’s help for her friend, but she didn’t know where to begin. Nehemiah gives us some direction on compassionate prayer. Overwhelmed by the problems that the people of Judea were facing, he turned to the Lord. He makes the problems of the Jews his own and reaches out to a God who he knows well. His prayer gives us a pattern for turning to the Lord when problems occur.
The question for many people is “what do I pray?” I remember talking to a member of my congregation whose best friend was in the hospital. She desperately wanted the Lord’s help for her friend, but she didn’t know where to begin. Nehemiah gives us some direction on compassionate prayer. Overwhelmed by the problems that the people of Judea were facing, he turned to the Lord. He makes the problems of the Jews his own and reaches out to a God who he knows well. His prayer gives us a pattern for turning to the Lord when problems occur.
- He begins with praise v. 5. He calls God the “God of heaven” because he knows the true God is higher and more powerful than all the earthly gods of the Persian people around Him. His God is a God who is able to accomplish the things that are needed. His God is one who keeps the promises that He made to His people. There is no reason to pray if you don’t believe that God can and will help you. Starting with a reminder of how great God is reminds us why prayer is powerful.
- He continues with confession v. 7. Nehemiah is brutally honest. The reason that Judea is in this predicament is that the nation had forgotten God and not obeyed His commands. He admits that “we brought this on ourselves”. Our society likes to shift blame to a handful of individuals, Nehemiah expresses that all must take blame when a nation sins. Sometimes, it is our own sins that we need to acknowledge when crisis comes. Other times, we need to humble ourselves and admit that the problem is not God’s fault, but comes from living in a sinful world.
- He prays with confidence v. 10. Nehemiah has confidence in God’s great strength and mighty hand. God can do what no one else can do. He also is confident that God wants to help. These are God’s servants and people. Just because they have sinned doesn’t mean that God still doesn’t love them. As we pray, we need to express confidence that God loves us and has the ability to help. Prayers are not to just wishes thrown up into heaven hoping that something happens, but rather confident pleas to an almighty and loving God.
- Finally, he makes a specific request v. 11. He wants God’s help as he approaches the king. It was the king that he serves who declared that the Jews could not rebuild the walls. He will need nothing less than a miracle to change the king’s mind and set in motion the defense of Jerusalem. The more specific we can be in our request, the more we will have a chance to see God act or be taught by Him. A general request of “help Judy” will make it hard for us to see what God did or have a sense of what is needed. Be specific and watch God act.
The pattern of prayer begins with an acknowledgement of God’s abilities and ends with a specific request for help. As we find ourselves in life’s predicaments, we can pray with Nehemiah knowing the love and power of our God. What makes Christians the most blessed people of the world is that we have a place to turn in time of troubles. As we turn to the Lord first, we will find that we have a God who is eager to help and who can overcome any problem that we face.
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