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Pray for the Impossible, pt. 2
Nehemiah 1:5-11
We have begun to talk about
one of the shortest men in the Bible.
Not Zacchaeus, this is "Knee High Miah!"
Shorter than him was Job's friend, Bildah the Shuhite [shoe height!]
Anybody know the very shortest man?
It was the Roman Centurion who slept on his watch!
Last time we said that God
does His best work, in impossible circumstances!
Matthew 19:26
26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this
is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
The walls which once
surrounded
v. 4 One of the
major themes which emerges from the book of Nehemiah is prayer.
Nehemiah realized there are many things you can do AFTER you
pray, but there is nothing you can do UNTIL you pray!
God's people have a
powerful tool at our disposal.
It is the mighty weapon of prayer.
2 Corinthians 10:4
4 (For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds;)
Prayer moves the hand
that moves the world!
Here is one of the
mightiest prayers in all of the Bible.
Last time we saw that it was... [some new
info. added here]
1.
A prayer of contrition.
He understands he's
kneeling before the great God of heaven.
v. 5 He isn't coming
to God flippantly. Yes, prayer
is conversation with God, but always with reverence for who He is.
Jesus prayed this way in His example of the Lord's prayer.
"Hallowed be Thy Name."
The way some of us pray to
God I wonder if sometimes God must think, "Are you talking to me?
I didn't recognize myself in this conversation!"
I'm thankful that I can
talk to God as a friend and as a Father, but I need to remember Who He truly
is!
ill.--Adrian Rogers asking
God to use him, and digging a hole in the ground [see audio]
The reason many of us have
too high of an opinion of ourselves is that we have too low of an opinion of
our God!
2.
A prayer of concern.
He wept and prayed, and
then fasted. Jesus said the big
things come by fasting. Do you
ever fast?
"We pray without crying, we
give without sacrificing, we live without fasting...is it any wonder that we
sow without reaping?!"
Nehemiah never could have
rebuilt the walls of
Tears are a language God understands. He is moved by what we are moved by.
Contrition, concern...
3.
A prayer of confession.
v. 6-7 The best prayers are the ones
that God hears. And He has
promised that He doesn't hear the prayers of those who willfully aren't
right with him.
Psalm 66:18
18
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Nehemiah knew it was sin
that led to the destruction of
Is your life lying in
ruins? Is sin to blame?
Don't just cry over your plight.
Make it right!
4.
A prayer of Confidence.
v. 8-10
He says, "God, remember those promises from your Word?
I'm holding you to your Word!"
Nehemiah not only knew God's Word, he believed it.
Here is real prayer.
Not just thinking of what you want, and asking God for it.
Not just having your agenda and begging God to get on board w/ your
plans. Real prayer is taking God
at His Word. Real prayer is
claiming the Rock Solid Promises He has given us in His Word!
Pray this way:
Identify a
promise of God, and then stand on it, and tell Him about it!
Isaiah 45:11
11
Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask
me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands
command ye me.
God here says that we can
tell Him what to do if it is based upon His Word!
Nehemiah says God, I'm
asking you now to do what you have said you will do.
We are returning to you in faith and repentance, and now we will
await your favorable response back to us as you have promised.
Nehemiah is holding God to his Word.
Isn't this audacious?
Yes, but it is a holy audacity our God is not offended by.
He delights in us believing Him and taking His Word.
Without faith it is impossible to please God, and so having faith
pleases Him! Faith is taking God
at His Word.
Faith is believing God's
promises regardless of the circumstances and regardless of the
consequences.
Prayer is not overcoming
God's reluctance, it is laying hold of His willingness!
When I lack faith about
something, I pray: God, I'm like
the boy's father who said I believe, help thou my unbelief.
I'm claiming your Word!
When I struggle w/ pride I
pray: God, the devil wants me to
be proud of myself like Nebuchadnezzar who looked out over his great
kingdom. You humbled him.
"Them who walk in pride you are able to abase!"
So I humble myself before you, and ask you to not let me be lifted up
beyond measure.
When I have a financial
need, as a tither I come to God and remind Him:
God, you have promised to bless me for tithing, and you said you
would open the windows of heaven, and rebuke the devourer that sucks up all
our resources. I ask you to
honor your Word in this matter, and I know you will.
[and He always does!]
contrition, concern, confession,
confidence...
5.
A prayer of Commitment.
v. 10-11
"Servant" is the key word.
Nehemiah is making himself available to God.
He is willing to
be the answer to his own prayer.
He says Lord, something needs done in
It does no good to be
contrite, concerned, confessed, and confident, if you aren't personally
committed. We must be willing to
put feet to our prayers, not just praying for God to do it thru someone
else. If you want to pray for
someone to be saved, great, but remember you are at the top of God's list as
a potential witness to help make it happen!
"Here am I Lord, send
someone else?"
No!
Getting on our knees is
wonderful, but what do we do when we get up and our feet hit the floor?
We can do nothing
until we pray, but there is much we should do AFTER we pray!
But be careful, often we
are guilty about only doing the latter...trying to make things happen in our
strength, and not first looking to God to help us!
Prayer illustration:
"The Miracle of Mid
--In 1962 a small group of
men saw the need for a good seminary in a day when many were going liberal.
They prayed that God would use them to bring it pass.
They prayed for 9 years before they were moved to do anything!
They had no money, and no ideas.
·
They
approached a local church that had extra room.
The pastor jumped up and down, saying he had been praying for the
facilities to be used more during the week.
The seminary was started w/ a handful of students, and for the next
few years it grew and grew.
·
Dr. Adrian
Rogers found them a building in
·
A few years
passed and the area went bad in downtown
·
The seminary
borrowed $400,000 to remodel and get things ready for the seminary to move
in. They knew they could handle
the payments on that amount, but based on their history, felt moved to pray
for God to miraculously supply.
They moved in, and began preparing for dedication services.
·
Just after
moving in the president was giving a couple a tour, and telling them about
how God had blessed. The wife
pulled out a household checkbook and in plain handwriting wrote a check for
$300,000. [I could write a check
like that, but it would end up in orbit!]
·
Now they owed
only $100,000. They had $50,000
so they cut it in half. The
seminary president, named Dr. Alison, said he was on his way to the
dedication service, and was in that same stairwell [he said, I have come to
love that stairwell!] when a businessman caught him and asked what it would
take to be debt free before the dedication service started.
It was exactly the amount God had already laid on the man's heart,
and he gave it.
·
They continued
to grow, and again needed to relocate.
The Methodist hospital was their next door neighbor, and in the past
had made them some ridiculously low offers for their present facilities,
which they always turned down.
But the hospital grew desperate, and came to the seminary w/ what you would
call "The Godfather Offer,"
[Italian accent, "I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse"]
3 times the appraised value, and 3 years free rent while they built
and relocated.
·
They needed
land, and Bellevue Baptist had 35 acres w/ I-40 frontage.
Their pastor was Adrian Rogers, who led his church to give it to them
for free. It was June 6, 2004,
and they are there today in ideal facilities for the ages, and a good friend
of ours just graduated from there this year.
My point?
Their God is my God and your God!
That miracle happened because of prayer, and we serve the God of the
impossible, and we should pray impossible prayers w/ contrition, concern,
confession, confidence, and w/ commitment to be used of God!
Principles:
·
Prayer teaches us patience.
Nehemiah didn't rush out to do the work until He sought the Lord
about it.
Isaiah 28:16
...he that believeth shall not
make haste.
·
Prayer gives us perspective.
A clearer vision results when we pray.
ill.--Napoleon would watch
his battles from a high perspective.
From there he could see the way to win on the ground.
God will help us in the same way.
·
Prayer brings us peace.
There's no burden like trying to get under a load and carry it when
you can feel that God isn't in it.
But when we pray and know it's God's will, God carries us thru it!
·
Prayer makes us more productive.
1:1
It all began in the month Chisleu.
2:1
All Nehemiah did in chapter 1 was pray.
Now in chapter 2 it's the month Nisan.
It's 4 months later. How
long did Nehemiah pray? 120
days! It goes on to tell how
Nehemiah then asked the king for permission to go rebuild the walls.
How long did it take to rebuild the walls?
Just 52 days! He prayed
longer than he worked. He prayed
for 4 months and had it done in less than 2!
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