A GREAT BIG PRAYER, Part 4, Nehemiah 1:5-11

A Great Big Prayer With a Great Big Request

Finally in verse 11 do we get to the request. And this should remind us that prayer was never meant to be a laundry list of wants directed to a Genie in the bottle God. Nehemiah’s prayer was a prayer born out of relationship first and then his need. The prayer request that he offered was intimately intertwined with his relationship to his God.

And what is the request? We see it in verse 11, “O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” And then is added this note, “Now I was the cupbearer to the king.”

Nehemiah had already begun to think about how he might be used by God to help the people in distress in Jerusalem. But there were a lot of obstacles. How could he be given the freedom to go and do it? A previous King had stopped all work on the wall of Jerusalem, how would he now gain permission to start again? There were a lot of obstacles and difficulties.

The particular obstacle was this: he was the cupbearer to the king. He was the one responsible for tasting the King’s wine first, to make sure that it wasn’t poisoned. Tough job. The King’s in those days were notable for their capricious behavior. Esther knew that she could suffer death if she were to go before the King unsummoned. To be sad before the King was a similar offense. So somehow he was going to need to get the King’s approval, not only to let him go, but also to restart the work on the wall in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah was a man of faith in God and he prayed in faith for God to intervene in the heart of the king. William Carey, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” It is good for us to be specifice in our prayer requests. We should pray for spiritual growth--and be specific about it. We should pray for open doors to share the gospel--and be specific about it. We don’t just pray for the ministry of Outreach Oregon--we pray for a church planting Pastor, and God provides one and we say “Thank you Lord for answering our prayer.” We don’t just pray for building progress, we pray God move the hearts of the people in charge that an agreement can be made and things can move forward, and there is an agreement and we thank God for it.

We have been praying for consensus among the engineers working on our building repair plans. This past week the head engineering consultant to the local building codes department visited out church. I introduced myself to him and was surprised when he asked me if I was preaching through the book of Nehemiah--in view of our rebuilding project. We went round about the building investigating the various repair concerns. When we finished he ushered the others out of the building, then came alongside of me and bowed his head and prayed--for our church, for our rebuilding efforts, and for me. What a tremendous answer to prayer! And we trust that God will open the door to greater progress.

CONCLUSION

I. A great big prayer is a prayer to a great big God. How big is the God that you are praying to? Consider anew the immensity of His love, the surpassing greatness of His power, the riches of His wisdom. Let the majesty of His glory encourage you as you go with confidence to the throne of grace in prayer.

II. A great big prayer is a prayer of confession to God. As we consider the greatness of God we see how far short we fall of His glory. Let that not discouraged you, but rather let it remind us of how God stands ready to forgive and restore and renew. Take earnestly the promise, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

III. A great big prayer is a prayer that is prayed according to the promises of God. We ask amiss when the focus of our prayers is on earth-bound needs, not taking into account the truths of the Scripture. Scripture is filled with promises that we need to stand on in prayer. Other Scriptures instruct us on the Spirit’s concerns for us as believers in Christ. Lay hold of Scripture and pray that way. And be confident that God will honor such prayers.

IV. A great big prayer is a specific prayer with a great big request. There are many needs. Great big needs in our lives. Great big needs in our church. Great big needs in our communities. Never has there been a greater need for God’s people in America to pray. There are specific things that we need to pray for. The closer we walk to Jesus the more sensitive that we will be to the needs of the day, that we might pray accordingly. Take your specific request to God, then thank Him when He answers--that is at the heart of worship.