Pray for the Impossible, pt. 2
Nehemiah 1:5-11
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/PrayImpossible2.html
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 Jerusalem now stood in heaps. The gates were burned with fire. It broke Nehemiah's heart. He began to weep and pray and fast over it.
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 Jerusalem until he wept over the ruins. The burden led to the prayer that led to the miracle! You cannot heal what you do not feel.
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 Jerusalem and her walls. And it would do no good to weep over the ruins if he was not willing to repent of the sin which led to those ruins.
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 Jerusalem, and if you want to use me to fix it, I'm available!
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 America Baptist Theological Seminary"
--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 Memphis, TN that was perfect for them, but cost way too much for them to begin to think about. They claimed it by faith, not knowing how it could ever work. They needed one million dollars. They had 20% and had to borrow $800,000. God provided most of it to be paid off within 4 months thru donors.
• A few years passed and the area went bad in downtown Memphis. They were being vandalized constantly, and staff members and students weren't safe walking in from their cars. A couple approached the Seminary president and said they knew of perfect facilities, 7 buildings, and just across town, for 3.5 million. But they had no money, and knew they couldn't sell their present facilities for much at all. The man said, no, we want to buy them for you. They paid cash!
• 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!
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/PrayImpossible2.html
