A Model Prayer
Read: Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah was a captive in Babylon and had a prominent position in the
palace as the king’s cupbearer. One day,
he got word that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates were
burned down. The few Israelites that
were left there were living in great distress.
His response was weeping, mourning, fasting and prayer (Neh. 1:4). The breakdown in Jerusalem showed the decay
of religion and the decline of the nation. Nehemiah takes his trouble to the Lord in
prayer. His prayer in chapter 1 is a
model for us to pattern our own prayers.
He starts with adoration, and then makes confessions of the sins of his
nation, followed by pleading the promises of God. Finally, he mentions God’s former mercies and
begs for pardoning mercy. There is much
we can learn from Nehemiah’s prayer. First,
he addressed God with respect (vs. 5) and as a covenant keeping God. Then, he confesses his sins and the sins of
the people. He knows that they did not
keep their part of the agreement; He agrees that they acted wickedly. He
then moves on to appealing to God based on the promises in His Word. God had told Moses that if the people were
disobedient they would be scattered but if they obeyed He would gather them
back. Nehemiah asks God to be attentive
to His Word and concludes by asking the Lord to grant him favor in the presence
of the King. We’ll see tomorrow that God
put a plan in Nehemiah’s heart and he prayed that the plan would succeed.
PRAYER AND MEDITATION
- What is God showing you today about Nehemiah’s prayer? What aspects can you take into your own prayer life?
- Spend a few moments praying about the things that Nehemiah prayed. Ask the Lord to guide you through each step and to show you how you can apply each step to the situations in your own life.
- Thank the Lord for His Word that acts as a prayer guide for us!
