Nehemiah's Prayer

Day three hundred twenty

I've been thinking a lot about the scriptures and what they have meant to me this past year. I have learned so much about how to apply them to my daily life and have really come to understand that every word has a reason for being there.  I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed my life to be one of those that received the gospel.  That is what I prayed about this morning, gratitude for the scriptures and the lessons that they have taught me.  My relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior has been strengthened and the blessings to me and my family have been in abundance.  I just wanted to let Him know that I love Him for it! 

Nehemiah 1

A little history...
Just as the Jews were removed in waves, they returned in waves.  Zerubbabel brought the first group, Ezra brought the second group, and Nehemiah brought the third group.  That's where we pick up today, with Nehemiah.

One of the themes of the Book of Nehemiah is that of prayer.  Within the 13 chapters of this book there are at least 12 prayers recorded.  Certainly, there are some things we can learn about prayer from Nehemiah.  Let's start with the first prayer recorded in chapter 1.

Problems and Prayer
Chapter 1 starts with Nehemiah learning about the condition of Jerusalem:

"...The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." (Neh 1:3)

Step one - concern for the problem. 
His reaction says a lot about his love for God's people, "..I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven." (v 4)

This is an important starting point. It’s so easy for us to stay uninvolved and unaware. Some of us don’t want to even think about stuff that’s going on in our own lives, much less take the time to investigate what is happening in the lives of others. Even though Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem, he had heard stories about it, and knew that his ancestors had been led away in chains when Babylon destroyed it. He was doing what Jeremiah instructed the exiles to do: “…Remember the Lord in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem.” (Jer 51:50).  Are there people in your life that you need to remember in your prayers?  Of course your family, but what about Christians as a whole?

Step two - take action
Nehemiah turns to fasting and prayer.  I want to focus on the prayer part. This was a prayer filled with emotion.  He is not just praying for himself, but for the people of Jerusalem.  Look at how many times he will say "I beseech thee." He was pleading with the Lord in their behalf, this was an intercessory prayer. This is one of the most powerful types of prayers a person can give.

Nehemiah starts his intercessory prayer by praising God, "O Lord God of Heaven, the God, the great, the revered." (v 5)  God deserves to be honored, revered, and praised, it is the perfect beginning.  How we praise God says a lot about our relationship with Him.  Nehemiah really loved God, that is obvious by the way he started his prayer. 

Step three - confess and repent
Next he confesses for the sins that the children of Israel, including himself, have committed. (vv 6-7). I never really thought about praying for the sins of others.  I have prayed for the well being of others, but never directly for their sins. This is an interesting concept, and it makes a lot of sense now that I recognize it.  Knowing how our sins can have an effect on generations, it makes sense that we would want to pray for God to show mercy to those that have sinned. Who couldn't use the power of prayer in their life when it comes to sin?  All of us could!

Step four -  confidence in His promises  
While Nehemiah spends time on the confession, he doesn’t wallow in a prolonged introspective examination of his failures or those of his brothers and sisters. He owns what he did wrong and then he quickly expresses confidence in God's promises (vv 8-10). I am not always good at the moving on part.  Sometimes I can't get over the wallowing and the guilt.  Nehemiah's prayer made me think that maybe when I don't move on I am not showing confidence that God will keep His promise to forgive me.  I think moving on would show the Lord that I have faith that it will be taken care of.  I need to show more faith in my prayers.

Step five- know what you are asking for  
I love the fact that Nehemiah wraps up the prayer by clearly stating what he is asking for; Lord, please hear my prayer and the prayers of others who love you, please bless me, and grant me mercy (v 11). There is no doubt what he is asking for.

This is another area I think I need to improve in.  Often when I pray I'm not really sure what I need or should ask for.  When I read Nehemiah's prayer I can see that he has put some forethought into it.  He knew exactly what he wanted to say to the Lord.  He had pondered, just like the Lord asks us to do (D&C 88:62-64).  I need to ponder more when it comes to prayer.

Step six - God's will
It has been said that prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven but getting God’s will done on earth. However, for God’s will to be done on earth, He needs people to be available for Him to use. While Nehemiah was praying, his concern for Jerusalem became greater and his vision of what needed to be done became clearer. He didn’t pray for God to send someone else – he simply said, “Here am I, send me!”

Martin Luther said, “Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.”  Prayer was the first step for Nehemiah to know God's will so he could act upon it. The same is true for you and me.

One of my goals this year has been to have more meaningful prayers.  As I have studied the scriptures this year I have learned that there is a lot about prayer that I didn't and don't know.  Every time the topic of prayer comes up in the scriptures there is something that makes me stop and think about how I can improve my own prayers.  I am especially grateful for Nehemiah's prayer, he has given me a lot to think about. His example definitely lends itself towards bringing more meaning to my prayers.  It is interesting that his prayer was on behalf of Jerusalem, but all these years later his prayer is blessing my life.  I want to pray with that kind of power.