Normally with a book study I'd say we can allow the prayer portion to remain between each member and God privately as we would be praying together each week when we met anyway. This book, however, is about prayer. That being said I think we ought to share our chapter ending prayers as well. Here are the last few pages of chapter one followed by our assigned prayer question. Let's share our hearts with one another.
A Closer Look Several years ago, while my wife and I were
living in a foreign country, we received word of my father’s death. At the time, we had no way of returning to
the United States. Feeling isolated and
cut off from family, we grieved the loss of a loved one from a distance.
Nehemiah
also lived in a foreign country and had little hope of ever returning
home. Like most Jews, he loved his
homeland. When one of the “brothers”
came to Babylon, Nehemiah was full of questions about those back home and the
beloved city of Jerusalem. What he heard left him in deep grief. For the next four months, his life was consumed with weeping, mourning, fasting, and praying. The Lord has kept a summary of this desperate man’s prayers in Nehemiah 1:5-11:
5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
For I was the king’s cupbearer.
Nehemiah intentionally called upon the “God, who keeps his covenant of love,” and was no doubt aware of the tradition and heritage of this address. He had read this description in the writings of Moses (Dt. 7:9). He knew that Solomon, in his prayer dedicating the temple (2 Chron. 6:14), had referred to the Lord in this manner. And when Daniel pleaded for God to end Israel’s captivity, he did so on the basis of the Lord being a covenant-keeping God (Dan. 9:4). Nehemiah longed to see god fulfill one of his great promises, so he naturally spoke to Him as one who keeps contact with his people.
Nehemiah’s prayer is a good example of addressing God in a way that’s consistent with what and how we speak to Him in prayer. For example, is it consistent to pray to God as “Lord” and then give Him a list of things we want Him to do for us? At such times, it would probably be more appropriate to address God as “Father” or “great Giver of life.” If we are dealing with a spiritual warfare issue, a title such as “Lord of host” or “Mighty One” would be appropriate. When in pain of grief, we might address the Lord as “God of all comfort” or “God of hope” or “blessed Friend” or “the one who has promised never to leave us.” Taking our cue from the Israelites and their sensitivity to the many characteristics of their beloved God, we should never speak His names or titles lightly.
5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
For I was the king’s cupbearer.
Nehemiah intentionally called upon the “God, who keeps his covenant of love,” and was no doubt aware of the tradition and heritage of this address. He had read this description in the writings of Moses (Dt. 7:9). He knew that Solomon, in his prayer dedicating the temple (2 Chron. 6:14), had referred to the Lord in this manner. And when Daniel pleaded for God to end Israel’s captivity, he did so on the basis of the Lord being a covenant-keeping God (Dan. 9:4). Nehemiah longed to see god fulfill one of his great promises, so he naturally spoke to Him as one who keeps contact with his people.
Nehemiah’s prayer is a good example of addressing God in a way that’s consistent with what and how we speak to Him in prayer. For example, is it consistent to pray to God as “Lord” and then give Him a list of things we want Him to do for us? At such times, it would probably be more appropriate to address God as “Father” or “great Giver of life.” If we are dealing with a spiritual warfare issue, a title such as “Lord of host” or “Mighty One” would be appropriate. When in pain of grief, we might address the Lord as “God of all comfort” or “God of hope” or “blessed Friend” or “the one who has promised never to leave us.” Taking our cue from the Israelites and their sensitivity to the many characteristics of their beloved God, we should never speak His names or titles lightly.
Nehemiah’s main request to God was that he remember His
instructions to Moses: “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” (Neh. 1:9). You can tell what is most on a person’s heart
by listening to what he or she prays.
For Nehemiah, it was clearly the return of God’s people.
Nehemiah prays 11 times in the short book of the Bible named
for him. Not once does he mention the
wall. The wall, it seems, was merely the
project God gave Nehemiah to help bring the people back together. Nehemiah didn’t pray about the project. He prayed about the longing of his
heart. This is a remarkable distinctive
of prayers in the New Testament as well: Pray-ers in the Bible never simply
prayed for the project or event at hand.
Their prayers always went beyond that, straight to the heart of the issue—straight
from their heart to the heart of God.
Personal Approach
Using Nehemiah’s prayer as an example, compose a prayer to
God regarding a situation that disturbs you:
My Heavenly Father who sustains me, I deserve death, but you have given me life anew. By your grace and mercy you pour into me each day. You protect my family and grant me favor. Truly my King, your power is seen not only in your creation but in the way you protect and teach us; your children; your created. Thank you for loving and living with this broken and wretched man. I have no right to ask of you anything for I am already given great undeserved wealth in You, none the less I am encouraged by your Son to ask to receive and pray patiently for your will. My King, I ask only this, that because I am feeble, because I am broken, because I am weak, because I am a fool, please anoint me, empower me, encourage me, fill me each day with your indwelling Holy Spirit and open my ear to His subtle lead that I may live a life that brings your name glory. Let not my greatest gift like filthy rags be the only thanks I can give. May my life be used to do more than I alone can do. May all that I am be used as a gift; a tool to you my great and mighty King of Kings. If I may serve you; if in fact you will accept my humble offer, Jehovah Mekoddishkem sanctify me that I may serve you my Adonai. In this way may I express my thanks eternally for your great sacrifice me El Olam; my Everlasting God.
ReplyDeleteMy Heavenly Father You are the Creator of Heaven and Earth. You alone are my strength and my salvation. You are a stone that causes men to stumble and rock that makes them fall and those who trust in You will never be put to shame. I pray that You alone be my foundation and that my friends and family will come to know You and invite You to become the cornerstone of their lives. Thank you for your never-ending mercies.
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