A Prayer for Restoration
Nehemiah was an Israelite who loved God and his people. His heart was devastated when he heard that his nation and the city of Jerusalem were broken and in distress. He spent many days mourning and fasting for his people. In the Bible, the book of Nehemiah is the story of how God heard and answered Nehemiah’s prayer.
A Prayer for Today,
In Nehemiah 1:5-11, we find Nehemiah’s prayer. Today, I am going to borrow Nehemiah’s thoughts and adapt his prayer to fit the world we live in. This is my prayer:
Lord, God in heaven, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. You are the great and wonderful God. You keep Your gracious promises to those who love You and keep Your commands. But you are also a righteous God who allows us to suffer the consequences of disobedience. Please let Your eyes be open. Let Your ears be attentive to hear my cry. I lift up my voice to You. I pray for Your children and this hurting nation.
A Prayer of Confession
I confess the sins we have committed against You. Lord, we have been faithless and sinned. We have allowed entertainers to become advisors and given sports figures hero status. We have passively watched as many who were elected to serve this nation wrongfully establish themselves as our rulers. We have acted unfaithfully toward You and have not kept the commandments You gave us through Your servant Moses. Lord, we are an unholy people. We suffer as a result of our sinfulness.
Lord, I know that if we treasure sin in our hearts, You will not hear our prayers. I know that you will not bless the life of the unrighteous man. But You have promised that if we, your people, will humble ourselves and pray. If we turn from our wicked ways, then You will hear from heaven. You will heal our land.
I know, Lord, that in this nation, Your people indeed are few. However, You are not concerned with numbers but seek to honor the ones who have broken and contrite hearts.
God, we are Your servants and Your people. You have redeemed us by Your great power and strong hand. Please, Lord, let Your ear be attentive to my prayer. Listen to the prayers of all Your servants who delight in Your name. Give Your servants success today, and have compassion on us in the presence of evil men as we attempt to reclaim this land for Your Glory.
In the Power and Authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen
“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You.
Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.
Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’
Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer.”
Nehemiah 1:4-11 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/neh.1.4-11.NKJV
Douglas & Deborah Huff
From Down Where the Pavement Ends
Email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com
