Webster’s dictionary defines prevailing as having superior force or influence. When we think of prayer as believers, as children of God do you describe your prayer life as having superior force or influence with God?
I believe one thing that will mark a person who has influence with men and influence with God is this: that person will be one who walks with greatness of prayer.
If we studied the great revivals or the turning point in a man’s life where that believer gave themselves completely to Jesus it is stamped with an event of significant, sustained prayer. No great awakening in America ever started w/o God’s people crying out to God. No saint ever became mighty for God w/o first crying out to God for forgiveness of sins.
Pastor Mark Bubeck a prayer warrior said greatness of prayer can be defined in 2 measurements:
1)Measured by what it does in the life of the one praying.
2)Measured by the visible movings of God in human affairs.
There was a man named John Hyde. His nickname was John “praying Hyde.” In 1911 he was returning to America from India in great weakness and painful illness, he stopped in England to rest and visit some fellow workers who had served in India with him. There he learned that evangelist, J. Wilbur Chapman was holding meetings in a place that seemed closed and very hard. Hyde felt constrained to take up prayer on behalf of the evangelist. Dr. Chapman explained what happened.
“At one of our missions in England the audience was extremely small, and results seemed impossible--but I received a note that an American missionary was coming to town and was going to pray God’s blessing upon our work. He was known as “praying Hyde.” Almost instantly the tide turned. The hall was packed and my first invitation meant 50 men for Jesus Christ. As we were leaving, I said Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me!”
He came to my room, turned the key in the door dropped on his knees--waited 5 minutes w/o a single syllable coming from his lips. I could hear my own heart thumping and beating! I felt the hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with God. Then with upturned face, down which tears were streaming, he said “Oh, God!”
The for 5 minutes at least, he was still again! Then when he knew he was walking with God his arm went around my shoulders and there came up from the depth of his heart such petitions for men as I have never heard before. When I rose from my knees that day, I knew what real prayer was!”
Of all the great prayers in the Bible, Nehemiah’s prayer is one of obvious greatness. Great prayer is ALWAYS A PRAYER FROM THE HEART! Usually we never learn to pray until it is Desperate prayer. This prayer, in my opinion, is the outline of great prevailing prayer.
Here in our text tonight we have a remnant of Jewish people who had returned to Jerusalem. They were in captivity and had been let go. In 536 BC Zerubbabel returned with 50,000 Jews and in 20 years had rebuilt the temple. In 457 BC there was a small revival under Ezra. Now it’s 445 BC and the people and city are in ruins. God was looking for someone who would be obedient and unite His people. God didn’t chose a king, a preacher, or even someone called into full time ministry--God chose Nehemiah, a church member who was, at that time, working for the king of Persia.
I. A Ready Report (v.1-3) Some men came and Nehemiah, because he had a heart for God, asked them how Jerusalem was doing. He loved God and when we love God we love God’s people. Not only that we are concerned for the work of the kingdom of God. Notice:
A. Condition of the Heart of the People--(v.3a) the people are in great affliction and reproach. Affliction in the Greek means adversity and distress coupled with evil. Reproach means shame. They were attacked Spiritually from satan suffering great adversity and they were living in shame from their plight. They were a laughing stock to the lost world around them.
Imagine the talk “You serve the one true God--Ha, yeah right, look at you in poverty, your homes and your God’s city is a mess.”
Could you imagine being so Spiritually depressed that your Spirit is at the breaking point? That’s where they were. Their hearts were broken.
B. Condition of the Heart of God--(v.3b) The Bible says here “the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” Often times in the Bible when God speaks of the Jewish people, His chosen people, God refers to them figuratively as Jerusalem or Zion. The Bible says Ps 147:12 “Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.” The Bible also says Zech 2:7-8 "Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!" For this is what the LORD Almighty says: "After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you-- for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye--”
Listen to more of God’s feelings towards Jerusalem, His people.
Ps 135:21 “Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.”
Jerusalem is the apple of God’s eye or the most tender part there is to God. God says He dwells at Jerusalem and listen to what else the Bible says about Jerusalem:
Ps 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.”
Listen God tells us to pray for the peace at Jerusalem and to love Jerusalem so we can prosper. God loves Jerusalem and this seen here in our text breaks God’s heart. The walls of His Holy city, where He dwells are broken down and so is God’s heart.
II A Right Response--(v.4) Nehemiah could have heard the report and said “oh that’s too bad, I’ll pray for you.” Sorry to hear that--God bless you or some other Christian cliché. But Nehemiah doesn’t do that look at what he does. He responds from His heart--a right heart with God.
A. A Burdened Heart--sat down and wept. I like that. When is the last time you wept in prayer? You began to pray for a brother or sister in Christ or a lost loved on or the lost in general and wept while praying? Do you have passion in your prayer? A Heart so in tune with God that others burdens become your burdens? The Bible says Gal 6:1-2 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
A missionary and his family were forced to camp outside on a hill. They were carrying money and they were fearful that thieves might rob them. After spending time in prayer, they finally fell asleep. Several months later, a man that had been injured was taken to the mission hospital. He asked the missionary if on that special night they had soldiers guarding them. The man said to him, “We intended to rob you, but we were afraid of the twenty-seven soldiers.” When the missionary returned to his homeland, he shared this story with his home church. One of the members asked the date of that night and then responded, “We had a prayer meeting that night, and I took roll. There was exactly twenty-seven of us present.”
Oh brothers and sisters when God’s people have a burdened heart God does miracles.
B. A Broken Heart--mourned certain days, fasted. Mourned, great sorrow, cry out to God. He mourned for days according to this verse and fasted. When brothers and sisters was the last time, or have you ever fasted, in prayer to God?
When the disciples couldn’t cast a demon out of a boy and the father came to Jesus and said please have mercy on my son. He has an evil spirit and it throws him into the fire and hurts my boy. I’ve asked your disciples and they couldn’t help him. The Bible says Matt 17:18-19
“And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?” Jesus goes on to tell them there Matt 17:21 “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
If we look at Neh. 1:1 and Neh. 2:1 we learn Nehemiah prayed for four months. With a broken heart--Fervently seeking God--A Right Response to the Report.
III. A Royal Request--(V.5-11) V.5 Nehemiah says I beseech thee or I pray to you now--right now--it’s expedient now that you hear us it‘s a:
Heart Cry to God--Moses used this same phrase in the Hebrew when he comes down with the 10 commandments and sees the wickedness of the people. The Bible says “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.” As he’s praying he says Oh, this people--Oh God please in agony--it’s a Heart cry to God for Him to hear this prayer. Notice what the prayer is for:
A. For Repentance--(v.6-7) Nehemiah repented for sin which we committed. He says he is praying day and night, he’s earnestly pleading with God to forgive our sin. He lists the three areas all of us should confess as sin before God:
1. Public Repentance--confess the sins of the children of Israel. He says there “we have sinned against thee.” Father forgive us in America we have forgotten you--we have pushed you out and made idols of money, power and business. We worship money, we worship Hollywood, We worship Athletes and athletics who don’t even honor you.
2. Personal Repentance--Father “I have sinned.” Personal repentance. Let me ask you this tonight. What have you placed before Jesus in your life? Besides work and family what takes up a majority of your time? Is that thing an idol? Are you truly repenting of the things that are sin and yet you do anyway?
Someone once said “Repentance is being sorry enough not to do it again.”
3. Patriarchal Repentance-- “both I and my father’s house have sinned.” This is a must. It amazes me today that people believe their parents to be more right than God. I’ve heard person after person, my momma always said, or my daddy always said and then they fill in the blank. I love my parents, but I’ll tell you tonight I honor the Lord before I honor them. Here’s a caution to some of you tonight just because you’re mom or dad said it, doesn’t mean it’s Biblical.
It’s also important here to say we must confess the sins of our family. There is a thing called Generational sins. Exod 20:5 “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” We pass down traits as parents to children and we pass down sins. Certain habits that are sinful. You look at a man with a temper and you watch how his children turn out. Abuse--runs in families. Watch a gossiping person, a judgmental person in the church I guarantee it they learned it at home.
WE MUST REPENT IN ALL THREE AREAS BEFORE WE WILL EVER HAVE REVIVAL IN AMERICA. We must repent of our backbiting, immorality and worldliness.IF WE DON’T REPENT--WHO WILL!!!
A heart Cry to God for: repentance
B. For Remembrance--(v.8-11) After repentance, Nehemiah’s prayer now centers on God remember what you said. If we sin you will scatter us, and you did. But in v.9 if we turn to you and obey you, God you will call us to you again. Remember Father and he lists three things:
1. Of His Promises--(v.8-9)Lord you promised if we turn to you and obey you would deliver us. It’s important in prayer to quote scripture. Not to remind God but to settle it in our hearts. Lord you said “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Lord you said “Call unto me in the day of trouble,” Lord you said “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
The promises reassure us.
2. Of His Power--(v.10) Thy great power. When we pray we’re not only talking to our heavenly father, but also the God of everything. He said that in V.4. Oh God can’t deliver America--we’re hopeless. He delivered Israel at the Red Sea. God can’t save my husband, or wayward child--oh really, God delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abedengo, God delivered Daniel. God even saved Nebucnezzar an evil king.
God’s great power, remember all he’s done for you already. He hasn’t changed, don’t forget that.
3. Of His Plans--(v.11) “who desire to fear thy name: and prosper,” That reminds me of what God told the prophet Jeremiah: Jer 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God wants to bless us. God wants us to walk in victory. God’s plans are that we live Holy, happy lives and point the way to Jesus. But we must Pray from the heart--we must cut out the idols of sin in the way that hinders our prayer. The Bible says Ps 37:4
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
A man arrives in heaven, and St. Peter is showing him around. After a while, they pass by a large warehouse, and the man inquires what is inside. "Oh, you don’t want to see that," protests St. Peter. The man’s curiosity is piqued, and he demands to see inside. St. Peter opens the door, and they see a warehouse full of wonderful things, stacked to the rafters. "Why didn’t you want me to see this?" the man demands. "It all looks wonderful!" "Well," says St. Peter, "I thought it might make you sad. You see, those are all the things God had ready to give you, if you had only asked for them in prayer."
Nehemiah here is willing and wants to be used. He’s not running ahead of God, he’s saying “If you want to use me, I am making myself available. That’s A Heart for Prevailing Prayer and folks that’s a heart God can use mightily for His glory--Does that describe you? I s God using you that way tonight?
Pray
