"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV I was sitting in church one Wednesday night, overwhelmed with anger. Someone had hurt me, and I felt they weren't acting the way they should. I thought my sins weren't as bad as theirs, so I felt justified. But then, the Lord gently reminded me that I was wrong. I realized I was judging this person, and that was a sin in itself. God is holy, and my behavior was no better than theirs. I felt convicted and was moved to tears. The Holy Spirit whispered to me, "If you really love them, you would pray for their best, regardless of their behavior." That realization hit me hard. I admitted to myself that I didn’t truly love them as I claimed. My actions showed that I wanted them to act a certain way for my benefit. I remembered the verses from Numbers 6 and knew I needed to pray for G...
Sometimes, when we pour out our hearts in prayer, we might feel like our words don’t get past the ceiling. But take heart, for God listens to every prayer, even those whispered in sorrow. Nehemiah 1:4–11
The Book of Nehemiah offers us profound lessons on prayer. First, Nehemiah shows that we should pray to God even in our sadness and mourning (v. 4). God desires to hear from us in every season of life.
Second, just as Jesus taught His followers, prayers should begin with worship and honor toward the Lord. Nehemiah acknowledges God’s greatness and faithfulness saying, “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love” (v. 5). Third, Nehemiah seeks God’s attention, presenting his requests humbly (v. 6; Phil. 4:6).
Third, our prayers ought to include genuine confession and repentance (vv. 6–7). Nehemiah openly confesses, “the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.” There is no pretense, only an honest admission of wrong.
Lastly, anchoring our prayers in Scripture brings depth and assurance. Nehemiah draws upon earlier biblical promises to reinforce his prayer. While this doesn’t guarantee our requests will be fulfilled exactly as we wish, it strengthens our faith and understanding.
In conclusion of the passage, Nehemiah reveals his role—“cupbearer to the king” (v. 11), a trusted and significant position in the royal court.
Going Deeper
Using Scriptures to shape our prayers can greatly enrich our spiritual practice. Praying aloud from the Bible, and making it personal to our situation, can be a powerful tool. Nehemiah’s prayer in verses 5–11 serves as an excellent example.
Pray with Us
“Lord, the great and awesome God of heaven, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant” (Neh. 1:5,11). Help us grow in love and faithfulness, molding us to be more like You.
Amen.