The Prayers of Nehemiah – Part One; How to Pray

How do you behave in a crisis? What is your first response? Fight or flight? Fear or Faith? Prayer or complaining?

Today we are going to embark upon a new series called The Prayers of Nehemiah. Would it surprise you to know there are fourteen prayers within the short book of Nehemiah? Over the next few weeks, we are going to learn how we can use the prayers of a servant of the Lord to transform our prayer lives.

Please take a minute to read Nehemiah 1 Here.

Some Background

Nehemiah just learned that the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem were living unprotected because the fallen city walls had not yet been rebuilt. This concerned Nehemiah, so he took action by praying and fasting.

Nehemiah’s Prayer

We are going to see that Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter one is similar to the PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) format of praying. (Click HERE for more on the PRAY method and a free printable)

Praise

What is the point of having a conversation with God if we don’t acknowledge Him first? I think it is rude of me to jump into my prayers without appreciating the One with whom I am conversing. Isaiah 61:3 tells us to put on a garment of praise. Bringing an offering of praise to the Lord is like showing up at your best friend’s door with a warm loaf of banana bread.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus teaches us to begin prayer by acknowledging God and praising Him. Nehemiah also begins his prayer with a similar pattern.  

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. Nehemiah 1:5

Repent

Having just had new carpet installed, I wanted to keep it clean, free of stains and odors for as long as possible. So those first few months we took off our dirty shoes as soon as we came into the house.

When I come before God in prayer, I want to make sure I have removed the unclean, sinful things in my heart before laying my requests before Him. These sins in my heart, both known and unknown, can hinder my walk with the Lord. (I wrote more about this HERE.)

Once again, we see both in the Lord’s Prayer (Forgive us our trespasses) and in Nehemiah’s prayer, a familiar format, by moving from praise to repentance.

I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws you gave your servant Moses. Nehemiah 1:6-7

Ask

We have a No Soliciting sign on our front door. The vacuum cleaner salesman and pest control solicitors are not allowed to approach us and ask for anything. Luckily, God does not have such stipulations for us or what we can ask for in prayer.

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:14

If you have done the previous two steps, your mind and soul are now in a better position to ask for what you want.

Interesting fact: The cupbearer’s job is to taste the wine and make sure it is safe for the king to drink.

As cupbearer, Nehemiah had access to the king’s ear, and his position of trust (testing for poison in the wine) gave him unprecedented access to the king. Before going to the king with a request to go help rebuild Jerusalem, Nehemiah first asked God for favor from the king.

Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man. Nehemiah 1:11

Here again, we see similarities to the Lord’s Prayer! “Give us this day, our daily bread.” God is ready to supply us with everything we ask for, as long as it is within His will.

Yield

My boys, when they were children, would ask if they could walk to the neighborhood park alone. I insisted that they waited until I could go with them. It would not have been safe for them, at that age, to make the trek to the creek to chase frogs or to the swings to try to go high enough to touch the clouds on their own.

After waiting to go with mom, they were able to trek further down the creek with my guidance, and I was able to push them on the swings to go higher. By submitting their wills to that of the parent, the adventure was even grander than they expected. It is in the offering of our will to God that we can go on a grand adventure, too!

Nehemiah shows his heart as a servant of the Lord who yields to the will of God, by using the word servant repeatedly in his prayer. Anytime we see repetition in the Word; it is something to pay attention to. We see the word servant used eight times in this one prayer!

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. Nehemiah 1:6

Every prayer we offer up to God is an act of yielding our wills to God’s. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we come to the place in our hearts where we recognize God’s will for our lives as most important, we genuinely yield our ways and see a change in our lives.

After Prayer Comes Action

Nehemiah’s big ask in this prayer is for a favor from the king. After praying, it is time to put his faith in action and take his request before the king. Nehemiah knows asking King Artaxerxes for this favor could be dangerous, as the king is the one who earlier issued the decree to stop work on the city of Jerusalem.

But with God, all things are possible. The act of asking for great things of a great God grows our faith stronger.

Join me next week as we see how this high ask plays out between Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes.

Heavenly Father, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, hear the prayers of your servant. We confess we have not always obeyed your commandments, laws, or decrees. We are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed with your great strength and mighty hand. Give us, your servants, peace tonight as we speak our prayers and ask for your favor in our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen.