Praying like Nehemiah

Backstory,

In 539 BC after the Persians defeated the Babylonians, Cyrus the Great issued a decree called the 'Edict of Cyrus'. The edict is written in cuneiform on a clay cylinder that still exists today and is held in the British Museum!

Cyrus's Edict is the earliest known human rights document! In it, Cyrus declared that all people were to have religious freedom and the right to worship. All slaves were freed and allowed to return to their native lands!

You can see it and read all about it in the link below!

With the release of the slaves, the first wave of Jews returned to their homeland in 538 BC. Worship resumed in Jerusalem and the Temple was rebuilt in 516 BC some 70 years after it had been destroyed!

In 458 BC a second group of Jews led by Ezra returned to Jerusalem but then in 445 BC work to rebuild Jerusalem stopped!

At this point the Prophet Nehemiah is in Susa, the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Persia. He is a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, meaning he gets to taste the wine to see if it's been poisoned! (his career prospects are poor at best!) Here Nehemiah learns that the rebuilding of the city walls has stopped., with the walls still tumbled and the gates burned!

At this, Nehemiah seeks permission from the King to return to Jerusalem to see the city for himself. Upon his arrival, he gets the restoration work going again but not before spending time fasting and praying to God seeking his help!

Nehemiah prays,

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 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 family, have committed against you. e 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. 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 favour in the presence of this man.” Nehemiah 1:5-11

What do we see in this prayer?

We see Nehemiah reminding himself as he calls on the Lord, exactly who God is, the God of Heaven and Earth.

We see that he is passionate and persistent praying day and night, crying out 'Hear the prayers of your servant'

We see that he gets right with God, honestly confessing his sins and those of his family, In this he is real, there is no pretence, for he knows that no one can hide anything from the lord!

He is bold, reminding God of his promises to return His people to the Land. Likewise, we must claim God's promises for us, knowing that God is ever faithful and true.

He reminds God in V10 that these are His people who need his help. This is also true for us, for we belong to God as we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus!

Nehemiah prays for success asking God to intervene as he approaches King Artaxerxes. So we should pray for success over the problems and issues in our lives.

And so like Nehemiah we need to pray day and night that God will powerfully intervene in our lives. Pray short prayers that are concise and straight to the point, as we come before him, confess our sins trusting in God's mercy and forgiveness and knowing that He will answer.

In life, our default go-to action, our knee-jerk reaction must always be to pray to our Father in Heaven!

Have a great week, and God bless,

Trev.