My wife and I are doing a chronological Bible in a year plan and I learned something new about prayer in the bible. We just finished the book of Nehemiah and I never knew that Nehemiah has the longest prayer in the entire bible. Nehemiah is filled with prayer. I figured we must have surely covered Nehemiah in a Pray First message, but no. Never took encouragement from Nehemiah.
To set the stage, Nehemiah was written after the babylonian exile and some Jews had started returning to Jerusalem, but the city was still in ruins.
In Nehemiah chapter 1, news reaches Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem are broken down and the people are in deep distress. He is heartbroken. But watch where he turns. He doesn’t try to cook up a human strategy, and he doesn’t try to negotiate with God based on his own resume.
Instead, he brings God’s own Word right back to Him. In Nehemiah 1:8-9 (NIV), he prays:
"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.’"
Nehemiah literally says, "Lord, remember what You said!"
He wasn't informing God of something He forgot. He was anchoring his petition to the unshakable covenant promises of God.
Now, here is the incredible news for us today. You and I don’t approach God under an old covenant of shadows. We come through Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” No matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. When Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross and said, "It is finished," He paid for every single promise in full.
Prayer isn’t something we do where we try to impress God or earn His favor. It’s not about how loud we are, how long we pray, or how emotional we feel. God isn't waiting on us to activate Him. He is our loving Father who has already taken the initiative, bound Himself to His promises, and invited us to come boldly to His throne of grace for Jesus’ sake.
When you bring God’s promises to Him, you honor Him. You are resting in the fact that He is faithful to do what He said He would do.
So, prayer warriors, as we get ready to pray today, let’s stop looking at our own adequacy and start fixing our eyes on God's fidelity.
Let’s focus our hearts in two specific ways:
Self-Reflection: Where in your life right now are you trying to carry a burden in your own strength? Take a moment of quiet and ask: "Lord, what promise in Your Word speaks to me?" Lay down your performance and hold up His promise in simple, restful trust.
Intercession: Let’s lift up our brothers and sisters who feel like their walls are completely broken down. Pray God's specific promises over them, His promise to never leave them, to supply all their needs in Christ Jesus, and to be their refuge and strength in times of trouble.