Prayers Answered - How To Pray and Get Results
Read Nehemiah 1:1-11
Cyrus King of Persia had succeeded Nebuchadnezzar, and the Jews were now living
in Babylon. Four years later (596BC) Nebuchadnezzar took away Judah and
destroyed everything. In 539BC Cyrus overthrew Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. Instead
of destroying everything, Cyrus allowed the captives to return to Judah and
begin to pay tribute. In 536BC Zerubbabel took 50,000 people out of Persia back
to Jerusalem to begin to build the Temple and restore praise. This is where Ezra
comes in. He is known as the modern founder of Judaism. By 520BC, sixteen years
have passed and only the foundation has been built. Nothing else takes place for
years. In 457BC, the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi come to help Ezra
the priest to build, but it takes Nehemiah, a governor to make it happen. God
had used Prophets and priests up to now, but it took an administrator to get the
work done. Nehemiah’s name means “Jehovah comforts”.
Hanani was a blood brother of Nehemiah. He brought with him some visitors from
Judah and Nehemiah wanted to know what was happening. Verse 3 picks up with the
remnant and the affliction that has taken place. Affliction in the Hebrew is
rah, raw-aw'= adversity, hurting, sorrow. This is what was going on with the
people: they were hurting, filled with sorrow, and in stringent adversity. This
news broke Nehemiah’s heart. “Reproach” in Hebrew is kher-paw' = disgraced,
the object of the wagging finger, everyone made fun because they were destitute
and hurting. [Job uses this word to describe what Satan did to him – made
him a reproach.] The people were a reproach because the wall of Jerusalem was
broken down. Walls speak of identification; they no longer had an identity.
Walls also signify security, and they had no security. Their enemies, Tobiah and
Sanballat overran them at will (Isa. 60:18). Today many believers don’t seem to
have any security or identity or purpose because their walls are torn down. When
salvation or our relationship with God comes down, people are ravaged by the
enemy. You have to keep the walls mended and secure or the enemy will make
ridicule of your life. When the gates of praise are burned, when you stop
praising God for your life and in your life, then you will hurt, be filled with
sorrow, and find that adversity overtakes you.
What did Nehemiah do when he heard the problem? He began to prepare to pray.
Preparation for prayer is as important as the prayer itself. The reason we don’t
get answers is we don’t prepare ourselves. Some people can pray at the drop of a
hat – that is because they stand ready at all times to pray. But many are not
ready for prayer.
1. PREPARING: (Vrs.4) Nehemiah sat down and wept; he recognized the problem for
what it was. He let it soak in. He didn’t deny it, ignore it or wish it wasn’t
so. Take time for the problem to sink into your soul. If you are not a part of
the prayer, it won’t go any higher than the ceiling. Take time to let the
problem sink in, Nehemiah focused on the problem - this is not a popular
teaching. But understand the issues. “I wept.” This is a very natural
response. The spiritual follows the natural. Acknowledgment is the first step to
prepare for prayer. That is taking a hold of the problem to possess control over
it. The first thing that happens to people when a problem occurs is
helplessness, so they try to avoid it. But in Christ Jesus we must possess it in
order to overcome it. Not that it possess us, but that we take control of it.
Problems happen to us to mess with us – don’t let them. Frustration, anger, and
then sorrow follow helplessness, you are also open to another power. If you take
hold of the problem you will have the power to overcome the problem.
2. MOURNING: This is remorse over the problem. “Certain days.” It means
“as long as it takes” until remorse comes – compassion for the loss of salvation
– no walls and gates. Remorse is a hurting inside because of recognized wrong.
Do we ever let ourselves get to this place? If you let it in you and you possess
it, you will feel the hurt that others go through. Mourning moves it from our
soul to our spirit.
3. FASTING: As believers we need to practice times of fasting whether we can
spend time in prayer or not. Fasting says, “Lord, You are more important than my
appetite.” We are declaring to our system that something is going on that is
more important than us. Fasting doesn’t bless God. It makes us ready to be
sensitive to the Spirit of God. If sorrow brings the issue to understanding in
the soul and remorse opens the spirit of man, then fasting identifies with the
will of man. It is a surrender of self to acknowledge God in this problem.
Prayer is not the hard part – preparation is the difficult area. If you take the
time to prepare, the prayer will just flow because your spirit, soul and being
are involved. It is no longer just a head matter. Instead, the total being gets
involved with God, locking us in with the Lord. (Jms.5:16) “The effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
4. PRAYING: This moves us from the problem to the solution (vrs.5) “O Lord
God of heaven…” This is His title: the warrior God “Sabaoth” “The
Lord of Hosts.” He is in charge and I have to make my request known to Him. I am
not complaining over the problem; I have accepted it for what it is. Now I am
acknowledging the one who can do something about it. I need the side of God that
can conquer and restore and heal. “The enemy has broken down my life. I am
distraught and made a laughing stock because of my ways. I have not taken care
of my life according to the Word. I have forsaken you and you have come and
judged me. And I am in ruins. I need a great and terrible God to
bring salvation. One who keeps covenant and mercy for them that love
him and observes his commands.”
~Great = better than anything
else. God, You are the one with superior power. The enemy has created this mess
and left me ravaged, but You have the power to restore what the enemy has taken
away.
~Terrible = awesome – always
to be feared by the enemy and reverenced by man.
~Keepeth covenant = a
watchman, to observe what is going on; guardian, the protector. You always keep
covenant. You never step away from the one who sincerely prays and keeps
relationship.
~Mercy for them who love him =
those who are attracted to God and care about Him. This is not agape love, but a
love from those who are beaten down and hurting and who knows that God is their
only source of help.
~Mercy = kindness for those
who have been reproached (by what Satan did). “God I don’t do everything the
right way, sometimes I blow it big time, but deep down inside I really do love
you.” You don’t have to be perfect to pray this kind of prayer.
~Observe his commandments =
not keep, but observe; you don’t always obey, but you know you should; you give
attention to them. You observe them.
THE PRAYER: (vrs.6) The actuality of your heart. “I pray it day and night.”
Pray until you get your answer. You stay focused because it is a problem and
you must find solution. Vrs.6b -7 Nehemiah acknowledges his responsibility for
the wrong. “We” prayers get answered, not “they” prayers. When you possess the
problem you will take responsibility – that is identification; bearing the
blame; missing the mark. When you identify with the problem then God is released
to do something to fix it. When the church identifies with the weaknesses of the
body, then He will come forth with great deliverance, both individually and
corporately.
Vrs.7 – “corruptly” = bound, tied up God’s hands. God is everything He
says He is. And He does everything He says he will do, but we have bound Him and
the enemy has ravaged our lives. Don’t say my life has not been affected. We are
all affected. When one suffers we all suffer (1 Cor.12:26).
Vrs.8-9 – “Remember” - the thrust of all prayer is to remind God what He
has said. That is covenant prayer, that is prayer that gets answered.
Vrs.10 – He is confessing what God has already done, now he wants a part of it.
That is covenant prayer. Remind God that you are in covenant with Him and that
you know and believe that He is more than able to answer.
Vrs.11 – “Hear me, O Lord because I desire to fear your mighty, eternal name.
I desire to prosper as you want me to prosper. I need mercy, I need a miracle.
Let me be successful.” The proper perspective of prayer begins with
preparation for prayer and ends with praying that results in answers.
Remember what Jesus said, “Satan desired to sift you, but I have prayed…”
-Pr. Steve
February Newsletter 2008 | Prayers Answered - How To Pray and Get Results
Pastor's Journal February 2007 | Rich Toward God