Brian Fisher
Grace Bible Church
“The Beginning of a Great Work
Part 2: Nehemiah's Prayer”
Nehemiah 1:5-11
Nehemiah faced impossible circumstances. And yet he was able to pray with boldness because he knew his God. To know God, we must know His word. To know His word is to know His will. As a result of Nehemiah’s prayer and courage, seemingly impossible things happen. Do we know how to pray in this way?
When we finally realize that we can’t accomplish what we most need, then we pray. Sometimes we don’t pray until we can think of nothing else to do.
Imagine Nehemiah’s circumstances:
Over 500 miles away
Situation unresolved for almost 100 years
Commitment to employer
No personal resources
Turned first to prayer
Nehemiah prayed with power. Impossible things are accomplished as a result of his prayer.
Lord, teach us to pray. Learn from the prayers of godly people of the Bible.
Nehemiah’s prayer came with power because…
1. He prayed with urgency – 1st thing he did was to pray, not act
What is the most important, pressing thing for you to do tomorrow? If I begin attending to business, I may never get to prayer.
Too Busy Not to Pray
Scottish novelist George MacDonald said, “In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably.”
Example: Saul could not wait for Samuel
Church did not begin with working but waiting.
What if the Apostles did not wait for the Holy Spirit?
Every great work begins with prayer. Nehemiah did not rush to activity, but drew near to God. Did not race ahead of God.
2. He prayed with perseverance – 4 months; this is synthesis
Day and night
Luke 11:5-10; Ask, seek, knock (keep on…); Luke 18:1-5
3. He prayed according to TRUTH
Autobiography of George Mueller
Before this time my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as a habitual thing, to give myself to prayer, after having dressed in the morning. Now I saw, that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encourage, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, whilst meditating, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord. I began therefore, to meditate on the New Testament, from the beginning, early in the morning.
The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord’s blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God; searching, as it were, into every verse, to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word; not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon; but for the sake of obtaining food for my soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer.
A. He knew God’s word – Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy
Prayers of Moses, David, Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Daniel, Ezra
Dt. 30:1-5
B. He knew God’s character
1. God is great – 1:5
2. God is loyal – 1:5
Unconditional v. Conditional
Law given to a redeemed people, not to redeem a people
Unconditional – Abrahamic Covenant; they belonged to God (His people) because of His promise; their continued existence and return proved His loyalty
Conditional – enjoyment of His blessings
2 Tim. – if we are faithless; John 10
Ps. 100
3. God is holy – there are standards; 1:7
4. God is good – revealed Himself; 1:7-8
Luke 11:11-12
5. God is powerful – redemption; 1:10
C. He knew God’s program – Dt. 30:5 (prosper us greater than fathers)
To know God’s word is to know God’s will
Parallel – our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed by Your name
4. He prayed with humility and honesty
On the ground
Servant – of his people, of his God
“Most Christians want to serve God, but only as an advisor”
Confession
Contemplation of God’s character led to conviction
Included himself; Dan. 9:2-6
Guilty of one, guilty of all
5. He prayed with boldness – 1:11
Specific requests – God moved; King acted; people responded
Grounded in God’s character, God’s program, Will
He knew God. Knew God’s word. To know God’s word is to know God’s will. To know God’s will is to pray with power.
“in the name of Jesus” – according to His character and will
Conclusion
Last week: What great work is God calling you to this semester?
How is God calling you to pray in order to see His great work accomplished in your life?
What are your specific requests?
Is there any barrier of sin separating you from an answer?