Day 11: Praying Church
Daily Devotional
Nehemiah 1:1-11
1 “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was cupbearer to the king.”
After many years of exile, the Jewish people can finally return to their own land. However, they faced a big problem: the wall of Jerusalem had been recently destroyed (again). Broken city walls would leave Jerusalem defenseless and vulnerable. Their hope of being God’s beloved city has been shattered. In light of this, Nehemiah devoted himself to prayer, praying day and night. Now this is nothing new for us — we all pray when we are in great distress — but we can learn what makes his prayer significant. He first acknowledges God and His greatness and awesomeness. He is a God who dearly loves His covenant people. Nehemiah likewise acknowledges who he is before God, that he is God’s servant and also a sinner. And though Nehemiah’s biggest motive to pray was the distress he was facing, he spends more time repenting than asking for help. Only after he repents does he make his pleas. Now how often do we pray acknowledging God and repenting of our sins compared to praying for our requests? When we pray, let us also praise God for who He is and what He has done for us. And let us be quick to confess our sins before we express our desires and needs. Only then can our prayers be bold enough to ask God for His help in time of need.
Weekly Application
Make a decision to set aside time each day that is dedicated to prayer. Let us pray that the time we spend praying may not just be out of duty, but a life-giving time of fellowship with God. Lift up your requests and confess your sins before God with the assurance of forgiveness. Intercede for your leaders, your church, and your community - standing in the gap for those who are in need. And invite Jesus to be in the midst of your circumstances with the expectation of supernatural joy and thanksgiving. Let us experience the power and the presence of God in our lives as we seek to become a praying church.