Let's Go Back to the Bible

Pray Like a Great Pray-er

There are many great prayers in the Bible, meaning we can read some great words that were spoken by righteous persons.  But, as we study great prayers, we also discover some tremendous pray-ers, that is individuals who can teach us some great lessons about how to talk to God.  Nehemiah is one of those great pray-ers we find in Scripture.

Throughout the book of Nehemiah, this lead character frequently broke out into prayer and then went right back to what he was doing.  So, a study of each prayer in the book would be highly beneficial.  But, I want to focus on his first prayer in chapter one and see how we can learn to pray like this pray-er.

Nehemiah praised the almighty God.  The very first thing Nehemiah did when he approached the Lord was to honor and magnify and revere the “great and awesome God” (1:5).  Did the Lord need to hear that?  Not nearly as much as Nehemiah needed to say it and to hear himself say it.

Nehemiah extoled the wonderful works of God.  As a part of lauding the God of heaven, Nehemiah exalted the faithfulness and mercy of God toward His children (1:5).  Did the Lord need to hear that?  Or was it that Nehemiah needed to be reminded of it himself by hearing himself say it?

Nehemiah confessed sin.  Before making his petition to the Lord, Nehemiah openly confessed “the sins…we have sinned against You…my father’s house and I have sinned” (1:6)—using the word “sin” three times.  He did not seek to make excuses for his failures, but instead he confessed both sins of commission (“acted very corruptly”) and sins of omission (“have not kept the commandments”) (1:7).  While some “laugh” at sin, God desires for us to “lament and mourn and weep” when we turn against Him (Jas. 4:9).

Nehemiah quoted Scripture.  Nehemiah had studied God’s Word, knew God’s Word and trusted God’s Word (cf. Lev. 26:33; Deut. 4:25-31; 28:64; 30:2-5).  He pleaded with God to fulfill the promises that He had made to those who “return” to Him and “keep” His commandments (1:8-9).  We need to know and believe God’s Word so strongly that we are willing to ask God to fulfill His promises to us.

Nehemiah humbled himself.  From beginning to end of his six-sentence prayer, Nehemiah was surrendering himself to the power and will of God.  Five times he said, “I pray.”  Six times he called himself and/or Israel the Lord’s “servant(s).”  He begins and ends by talking about how “great” the Lord is, and twice he pleads, “Please let your ear be attentive.” 

Nehemiah was a great pray-er in the Bible.  He gives us a great example of how we too can grow as pray-ers.