9.00am and 10.30am Sunday 8 August 2004
Rev Des Botting
Readings: Nehemiah 1:1-11; James 5:13-18
When we look at the Christian men and women whove had a profound influence on history, prayer always features high in their priorities. J C Ryle, the 19th century Bishop of Liverpool, writes: I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since Bible days. Some of them were rich, and some poor. Some were learned, some unlearned. Some were Episcopalians, and some were Wesleyans Some loved to use liturgy, and some chose to use none. But one thing they all had in common. They all have been (persons) of prayer. They talked to God daily.[1]
Its the same when we go further back to the Bible. Those who made a positive impact on their time were men and women of prayer. This was certainly true of the two people referred to in our Bible readings this morning, Nehemiah and Elijah.
Tremendous power is released through prayer. Peoples lives have been transformed. New insights and understandings of God have been gained. Communities, and even nations, have been dramatically altered for good. Theres well documented accounts of this, such as those on the Transformations Video Series.
This morning as we begin a series of messages based on the life of Nehemiah, one of the first things we notice about him is that he is a man of prayer. Prayer plays a vital part in his life. The passage we read this morning is the first of nine references in this book where we find Nehemiah praying. This reading shows us the priority prayer needs to have in our lives. It provides insights about the principles and practice of prayer, and the power thats released through praying.
1. The PRIORITY of Prayer in our lives. For most people, ourselves included, prayer is more often a last resort, rather than a first priority. When were going through difficult times and facing problems in our lives, how often has it been that weve resorted to prayer only after weve exhausted all other avenues? For example, Ive lost count of the number of times when Ive been looking for something, turned the house upside down in my searching, and then when Ive finally resorted to prayer, I go straight to it. It doesnt happen every time, but it has so often that its much more than coincidence.
When Nehemiah received news of the state of affairs in Jerusalem, he didnt go off and talk to other people about it. The very first thing he did was to fast and pray. Nehemiah said, When I heard this, I sat down and cried I mourned; I went without eating and I prayed.[2] Although Nehemiah was a man of action, and an excellent organiser and administrator, as is patently clear in what he was able to accomplish in just a short time, he was first and foremost a person of prayer. This should be true of every follower of Christ. Talking to God should be as natural as breathing. Does prayer have this priority in your life?
You may well ask, Why should prayer be a priority? Let me suggest three reasons. Because
a. It shows youre DEPENDING on God. One of the reasons we dont pray more is that we think we dont need to. Whats your natural reaction when you have a problem? If were joined with Christ, then well naturally share our problem with him. When we do this, were acknowledging our dependence on God. Secondly, because
b. It LIGHTENS your load. When we share a burden it lightens our load. This is what the Bible encourages to do for each other.[3] Nehemiah didnt complain, he fasted and prayed. The name Nehemiah means God comforts, and this was his experience as he unburdened himself before God. God honours such praying. Sometimes, for one reason or another, we have heavy loads to bear, and were encouraged to cast our burdens on the Lord for he has promised to sustain us.[4] Thirdly, because
c. It factors Gods POWER into the situation. Prayer can do whatever God can do. It taps us into the unlimited resources of the God whose power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine.[5]
This passage also teaches us some of
2. The Principles of Prayer. His prayer has three of the characteristics that are foundational to all good praying.
a. Its SIMPLE and yet it contains all the components of a well-rounded prayer. A pattern for prayer I was taught as a teenager was based on each letter of the word ACTS A standing for adoration; C for confession; T for thanksgiving; and, S for supplication. We find all those elements in Nehemiahs prayer.
Nehemiah begins his prayer with Adoration Lord God of heaven, you are great and fearsome.[6] He is focusing his thoughts on the greatness, the glory and the faithfulness of God. This is where all prayer must begin, seeing God as he truly is in all his might and majesty and awesomeness.
Then he moves on to confession when he prays, I, my family, and the rest of your people have sinned[7] He acknowledges the sins of his people, as well as his own and those of his family. Identifying with the sins of our nation is appropriate in confession. We need to ask God to have mercy on our land, for theres much that must grieve his heart in what goes on in this country. Its important for us to identify ourselves with the sins of our land.
Next, we can look upon his reminding God of his promises as THANKSGIVING as he asks God to remember that he said he would bring them back to the place where you have chosen to be worshipped.[8] This is also taken up earlier in his prayer when he says, ...you faithfully keep your promises to everyone who loves you and obeys your commands.[9]
And last he comes to SUPPLICATION when in the last verse of his prayer he says, Please answer my prayer When I serve the king his wine today, make him pleased with me and have him do what I ask.[10]
Prayer isnt meant to be complicated. Thats why Jesus gave his disciples a simple pattern for prayer in the Lords Prayer.
b. Its SINCERE. Theres nothing artificial about this prayer. It comes from Nehemiahs heart. Children can teach us a lot about this principle of prayer, like the little boy, who after a particularly bad day, began his bedside prayer: Lord, youd better sit down for this one And the four-year-old who was asked to say grace before dinner but couldnt seem to get started. Heads were bowed and hands folded while the family members waited . . . and waited. After a long silence, the mother looked up at him; he glanced back at her, then over to his father, then back to the mother again. Finally he said, But if I thank God for the broccoli, wont he know that Im lying? Prayer must be sincere before the one who knows the desires and thoughts of our hearts.[11]
c. Its SHORT. Jesus doesnt encourage us to pray long prayers.
He said, When you pray, dont pray on and on as people who dont know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Dont be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.[12] In fact, sometimes he answers before weve finished praying.[13] Jesus went on to teach them how to pray in the words of what has become known as the Lords Prayer. Nehemiahs prayer was short and to the point. He wanted the king to look favourably upon his request. In other words, Nehemiah was willing to be part of the answer to his prayer but he needed the kings permission to go. He was asking God to bless his mission, and its certainly not wrong to do that if its ultimately for the glory of God. This was certainly the outcome of what Nehemiah did.
This brings us to one other important principle.
d. Its RIGHT. He knew that his concern for Jerusalem and his desire to be part of the answer was Gods will. This means that if we cant ask God to bless what were doing, then we should be looking at doing something else.
This passage further teaches us about
3. The PRACTICE of Prayer. The first thing we should note is that
a. Prayer requires DISCIPLINE. To begin with theres the discipline of being still. The quote on the blackboard a few weeks back was from Blaise Pascal, who said, Most of our trouble comes from our inability to be still. This is why God says to us through the Psalmist, Be still, and know that I am God![14] Jesus knew the value of being still before his Father. One of the verses of the hymn, Dear Lord and Father of mankind, captures this. It says,
O Sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with thee
The silence of eternity interpreted by love.
Being still and quiet before God puts us in touch with reality
as it enables us to see life from an eternal perspective.
The second thing of importance about the practice of prayer is
b. Prayer requires PERSISTENCE. One of the reasons we dont receive what we pray for is that we give up too soon. When James speaks of Elijahs praying he uses the expression he prayed in praying, that is, he kept on praying. Powerful prayer is persistent prayer. When Elijah prayed for rain, the Bible tells us that he bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.[15] That is, he positioned himself so as not to see his surroundings. God had promised to send rain. He believed Gods promise and kept on praying until his prayer was answered. He refused to give up. Six times his servant came back to say, Theres no rain, not even a cloud. But Elijah persisted in prayer and told his servant to go back and look again. The seventh time he came back to say, A cloud as small as a mans hand is rising from the sea.[16] Next we read the rain started pouring down.[17]
Note, too, the example of Nehemiah. It was four months between when he first heard of the plight of his people in Jerusalem and when he asked the king for help. We know this from the months mentioned here and in chapter two. Nehemiah persevered in fasting and prayer over this period of time and as he did so he came to see that he could be part of the answer to his prayer. God often puts such desires in the hearts of his people, and then helps them to make it a reality, for his glory and praise. As William Carey said, Expect great things from God, Attempt great things for God. This is what Nehemiah did. What about you? What are you attempting for God?
c. Prayer requires CONSTANCY. Madelaine LEngle, a devotional writer, says, My own prayer life is faulty and flawed. But if I am ever to pray well, then I must pray daily, whether I feel like it or not. Its the same with my writing. If I am to write well then I must write daily, whether I feel like it or not. I heard a writer say recently, If I leave my work for one day, it leaves me for three. For me the techniques of moving into prayer and moving into writing are identical. Both take obedience, discipline, and hard work all unpopular concepts nowadays, when we are looking for shortcuts to instant ecstacy.[18] If were too busy to pray, then, the truth of the matter is that we are too busy. Jesus led an extremely busy life, but he always found time to pray. And ultimately, he is the One we are to pattern our lives on.
In closing, you need to remember
The greatest moments in your life will always come through prayer. God does things through prayer that hell do no other way.
Instead of worrying obsessively over your situation, start factoring in the God who can change your situation.
Dont stop praying. If you dont sense the Holy Spirits power in your life, it may be because you have left the place of prayer too soon. Commit yourself to never stop praying,[19] and God will come through for you. This was true for Nehemiah as he prayed about the situation in Jerusalem over those four months before he approached the king about it.
Stand on Gods promises. Nehemiah reminded God of what hed promised. He said, Lord God you said if you will. if you will. This is something we find all through the Bible. God, just like any earthly father, doesnt mind being reminded of his promises. In fact, he enjoys being reminded, because prayer transforms his promises into performances. Prayer is reminding God of what he said. The strength of your prayer life is dependent on how well you know the promises of God because he always stands by his Word.
[1] Quoted in Pulpit Resource, MediaCom Associates, South Australia, Vol 6, No. 1, 1989, p. 21-22.
[2] Nehemiah 1:4 (All Bible references are from the Contemporary English Version unless otherwise stated.)
[3] Cf. Galatians 6:2 NIV
[4] Psalm 55:22 NRSV
[5] Ephesians 3:20-21
[6] Nehemiah 1:5
[7] Nehemiah 1:6
[8] Nehemiah 1:9
[9] Nehemiah 1:5
[10] Nehemiah 1:11
[11] Cf. Hebrews 4:12
[12] Matthew 6:7-8
[13] Cf. Isaiah 65:24
[14] Psalm 46:10 NRSV
[15] 1 Kings 18:42 NIV
[16] 1 Kings 18:44 NIV
[17] 1 Kings 18:45
[18] Quoted in Pulpit Resource, MediaCom Associates, South Australia, Vol 9, No. 2, 1992, p. 32.
[19] 1 Thessalonians