Does Anybody Care (the 3 r’s of prayer)
Nehemiah 1:1-14
In the musical 1776, based on the events of the first continental congress around the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. The messenger comes in everyday with a message from General George Washington. It appeared such correspondence was going on for about a year. Each letter spoke of the hardships suffered by Gen. Washington and his men. Finally, out of desperation, a message comes from the front and it says “Is anybody there, does anybody care?” We know that God cares, He is like Hallmark, and He cares to send the very best. But who cares about God?
If one of our little ones present this morning were to run out into traffic, we would run out, risking our own life to save that child from the oncoming traffic. And we would do so because we care. Yet today morality is at low ebb, and the church is falling instead of rising, do we care enough about God? And do we care enough to do something about it?
Nehemiah is a man who cared. He cared enough that the first thing he does is PRAY.
Prayer is not some formulated “abracadabra” say it this way for the best results. Prayer is from the heart, an open communication with the Almighty. It would help us to look at the examples of prayer laid out in the Bible.
The 3 R’s of prayer
1. Nehemiah Reveals:
1. How Great God is
a. Awesome God v.5
b. Keeper of his covenant of Love
c. He hears.
2. How far Israel has fallen
a. Him and his fathers household v.6
b. Behaved wickedly
c. Not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws
America is in a similar position of Israel; we as a nation have fallen away for the precepts of the Bible. We need to confess our sins as a nation and a people as well as individually before our Awesome God.
2. Nehemiah Reminds:
1. The Covenant that God made
a. Disobey and I will scatter you v. 8
b. Return to me and I will gather you up from the corners of the world v.9
2. They are His people v.10
We, the church, are called to be His people whom he has chosen to empower with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need his power to overcome and ask Him to bless his people once again.
3. Nehemiah Requests:
1. Hear the prayers of your servant’s v.11
2. Grant us success
3. Jesus said whatever we ask in His name, it shall be done
4. James reminds us to ask BELIEVING
Last week we saw how Paul prayed for the churches in which he planted, I asked you to commit yourselves to praying for each other, coming together as Prayer partners, I also asked you to pray for me. Do we care enough to pray for our church, our nation, and for each other? Remember the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Follow the example of Nehemiah and we can make a difference, we CARE.
