WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM NEHEMIAH?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

What can I learn from Nehemiah?

When I heard [how things were going in Jerusalem], I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, "O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel.

Nehemiah 1:4-6 NLT

The king asked, "Well, how can I help you?"
With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, "If it please Your majesty and if you are pleased with me, send me to Judah to rebuild the city when my ancestors are buried."

Nehemiah 2:4-5 NLT

Nehemiah's example

With little time to think, Nehemiah prayed to God. Eight times in this book we read that he offered a spontaneous prayer. Nehemiah prayed at any time, even while talking with others. He knew that God is always present, always in charge, always listening, and always ready to answer.

Nehemiah could confidently pray to God throughout the day because he had established an intimate relationship with him during times of extended prayer. If we want to be confident about our brief prayers, we need to take time to cultivate a strong relationship with God through times of in-depth prayer.

From the TouchPoint Bible (Tyndale House) p 422

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO PRAY?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

What is the best time to pray?

We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for.

1 John 5:14-15

I love the Lord because he hears and answers my prayers. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath!

Psalm 116:1-2

Seize any time

And talking of sleepiness, I entirely agree with you that no one in his senses, if he has any power of ordering his own day, would reserve his chief prayers for bedtime — obviously the worst possible hour for any action which needs concentration. The trouble is that thousands of unfortunate people can hardly find any other. Even for us, who are the lucky ones, it is not always easy. My own plan, when hard-pressed, is to seize any time and place, however unsuitable, in preference to the last waking moment. On a day of travelling — with, perhaps, some ghastly meeting at the end of it — I'd rather pray sitting in a crowded train than put it off till midnight when one reaches a hotel bedroom with aching head and dry throat and one's mind partly in a stupor and partly in a whirl. On other, and slightly less crowded, days a bench in a park or a back street where one can pace up and down will do.

C. S. Lewis in Letters to Malcolm

Quoted in The Quotable Lewis edited by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root (Tyndale House) p 493)

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE IN PRAYER?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

What should be our attitude in prayer?

Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, 'Yes, Lord, your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Yes, your servant is listening."

1 Samuel 3:8-10 NLT

Speak, Lord, in the stillness, while I wait on Thee; hushed my heart to listen in expectancy.

Speak, O blessed Master, in this quiet hour, let me see Thy face, Lord, feel Thy touch of power.

Emily May Grimes

God revealed

God revealed himself mightily to the prophet El ijah, sending fire to burn the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. But later, as Elijah moped on the mountain, the Lord taught him an important lesson. There was a wind, an earthquake, and a fire — but the Lord was not in any of these. Then came a still, small voice. That was how God chose to speak to His prophet.

The same is true today. We long for fire from heaven to silence the skeptics once and for all, but God doesn't usually work that way. Long ago He revealed Himself as a helpless baby sleeping in a dirty feed trough, and today He speaks quietly to ordinary people like you and me—if only we are still enough to listen. That is the sentiment expressed by Emily May Grimes in the words of the hymn, "Speak, Lord, in the Stillness."

From The One Year Book of Hymns (Tyndale House) entry for September 5

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW CAN I MAKE MY PRAYERS EFFECTIVE?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

How can I make my prayers effective?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT

Praying effectively

Paul urges Timothy to lift up requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving.

A request is a need, a deep desire for something we don't have — something only God can supply.

A prayer is a word of praise and adoration. A more accurate translation of this word from the original Greek might be to "worship in earnest."

Intercession is praying on behalf of others. Our prayers should regularly reflect this kind of selfless lifestyle.

Thanksgiving involved remembering those past prayers that have already been answered, acknowledging that we not only trust God's supremacy and involvement in our life but also how his hand has moved and guided us in the past.

When we pray effectively, we do more than communicate with God — we commune with him. We become one in mind and spirit and purpose. Today, let the focus of your prayer time be to connect with God in a very real and personal way, not as a slave would petition his master, but as a son would enjoy the company of a loving and gracious father.

Adapted from a devotional by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 36

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHERE DO WE FIND GOD'S PRESENCE?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

Where do we find God's presence?

Open for me the gates where the righteous enter; and I will go in and thank the Lord. Those gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and saving me!

Psalm 118:19-21 NLT

The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.

Psalm 145:18 NLT

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome.

Ephesians 3:12 NLT

Prayer brings us to His presence

[Psalm 118] pictures a victorious yet battle-weary king at the helm of a throng o f grateful people entering the gates of the temple to thank God for saving them. During those times, the temple represented God's presence — the place where followers would go to pray to the Lord. Today, we enter into God's presence in a car, at work, or in the aisles of a grocery store — wherever we take time to pray to him. We can be sure God hears our prayers and answers each one wherever and whenever they are uttered. And by doing so, he gives us even more reasons to pray.

Just like the victorious king in this psalm, we should enter God's presence by thanking him for answering prayers. What answers to prayer are you thankful for today?

Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House) entry for November 28

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW CAN I DEAL WITH FEELINGS OF HOPELESSNESS?

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

How can I deal with feelings of hopelessness?

"The truth is that you will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT

A future and a hope

Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse of many, but it comes in a context that may add even greater meaning.

It appears in the middle of the prophet's announcement. The people of Israel were going to spend a long exile away from their homeland — 70 years — as God's discipline. After that, God would return them to the land. In other words, God had a plan for their future.

Our sinfulness often leads to dismal situations and feelings of despair. But we must always remember that hopelessness does not come from God. God is the author of hope. Even the Exile, with its seeming hopelessness, was part of God's long-range plan for his people. And his plans were good.

If you are facing hopelessness, you may be inheriting the results of some other person's sinful decisions and actions. Or you may be reaping your own bad rewards. You may not have really discovered the hope that is found in God's love for you through Jesus Christ. Reject despair and seek out God's plan — and his hopes — for you.

Adapted from the TouchPoint Bible
(Tyndale House) p 660

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

LIVING BRIDGES

LIVING BRIDGES

READ:

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Blessed is the man who trusts

in the LORD.  –Jeremiah 17:7

People who live in Cherrapunji, India, have developed a unique way to get across the many rivers and streams in their land.  They grow bridges from the roots of rubber trees.  These “living bridges” take between 10 to 15 years to mature, but once they are established, they are extremely stable and last for hundreds of years.

The Bible compares a person who trusts in God to “a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river” (Jeremiah 17:8).  Because its roots are well-nourished, this tree survives soaring temperatures.  And during drought it continues to yield fruit.  

Like a firmly rooted tree, people who rely on God have a sense of stability and vitality despite the worst circumstances.  In contrast, people who place their trust in other humans often live with a sense of instability.  The Bible compares them to desert shrubs that are frequently malnourished and stand alone (v.6).  So it is with the spiritual lives of people who forsake God.

Where are our roots?  Are we rooted in Jesus? (Colossians 2:7).  Are we a bridge that leads others to Him?  If we know Christ, we can testify to this truth:  Blessed are those who trust in the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7). –Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Jesus is all the world to me,

My life, my joy, my all;

He is my strength from day to day,

Without Him I would fall. – Thompson

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Even strong trials cannot blow down

a person who is rooted in God.

INSIGHT

The heart is the very basis of character, including the mind and will.  Because of our sinful nature, the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” Jeremiah 17:9).  Jeremiah debunked the popular belief that people are basically good (cf. Job 25:4, Psalm 51:5).  That God examines and test the heart is the consistent teaching of Scripture (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 2 Chronicles 6:30; Psalm 139:1-2; Jeremiah 11:20; Romans 8:27; Hebrews 4:12-13).  Although we might try to hide our innermost thoughts and motives from others, God sees.  He alone knows the true character of every person.  God searches and knows us, but loves us despite our inherent sinfulness.

Have a blessed evening and weekend.

God Our Creator’s Love Always

Unity & Peace