Nehemiah prays to God
beautiful example of prayer
Prayer to God is something wonderful, we can send our thanks and requests directly to the Creator. We don't need any human intermediary or angel for this. Every loving Father wants to talk to his children, and so does God want us to talk to him. The Bible contains a multitude of prayers addressed to God and not a single one addressed to God through a human intermediary, including a dead person. An interesting prayer can be found in the Book of Nehemiah:
Nehemiah 1.4-11 "And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, [5] And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: [6] Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
[7] We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. [8] Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: [9] But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. [10] Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. [11] O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer."
Nehemiah's prayer is not learned by heart
As we read, this prayer is not a trotted out, chiseled formula, but words spoken on the fly. It is worth noting how Nehemiah fasted for several days. Fasting strengthens our faith, one can feel closeness to God, the mind becomes healthier. At the beginning we read how the Creator is praised. This is important what we often forget during prayers, Every creature in the sky praises God, we should do it too, also in prayers.
Nehemiah admits his sins, that he was disobedient and did not keep the commandments that were given to him. God is holiness, it is we who continually sin. A sinner who talks to Pristine Purity shows remorse, knows that he has done wrong, repents of it and comes to the Lord in humility and submission, does not puff himself up and expect his requests to be granted. Humility and regret for sins are very important in prayers. Nehemiah asks not only for himself, but for the entire people, there is no selfishness here. When talking to God, let's keep others in mind. It is interesting when words are spoken that point to promises given by God. God keeps his words, and if he has promised something, we can invoke it.
In the second chapter of the Book of Nehemiah, we read:
Nehemiah 2.1-5 "[1] And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. [2] Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, [3] And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? [4] Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. [5] And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it."
Did Nehemiah have time to pray fully while talking to the king? This is not likely. Prayer to the Lord is not only words, but also thoughts directed toward Him. Because of the situation at hand, even words spoken quickly are a prayer. The Lord sees our plight, He knows that we remember Him. Let's do what we do with God in mind, and life will become more meaningful. We can't always and everywhere pray silently saying words, but when we say them in our thoughts no one will forbid us to do so. Treat God as a friend who stands beside you, talk to him, even in short sentences, and you will see that God will begin to have more and more meaning in your life.
We find other prayers in the Book of Nehemiah and throughout Scripture. In none of them did the man blame God for what happened to him. He knew that he had done wrong and exposed himself to his own desires, thus losing God's protection, which he despised. He admitted his mistakes and acknowledged God as loving and just! Prayer usually proceeded as follows: praise, thanksgiving (including for afflictions), confession of sins, sorrow, request. Prayers for "greater requests" were preceded by fasting.
