Day 3
O Lord,
let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of
servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today,
and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.
Nehemiah
1:11
Nothing
more clearly indicates our need for God’s grace and mercy than prayer.
Obviously, this is something that Nehemiah understood. Throughout this book,
Nehemiah returns again and again to prayer. He recognizes that if this project
is going to be a success, it will be because of God’s hand leading and guiding.
Two
aspects of this prayer give us guidance as to how to approach our own prayer
life. First, we see Nehemiah’s request to be heard. Clearly, God does not turn
a deaf ear to our prayers, but sometimes we need reminded that He is indeed
listening. So, Nehemiah makes his request for God to hear. This request is
rooted in the fact that he (Nehemiah) delights in and fears the name of God.
Second,
Nehemiah expresses his dependence on God. As he requests success, he is acknowledging
that he can do nothing of his own accord. It is God who must move on our behalf
to do the impossible. As Nehemiah approaches the king, he asks God to grant him
success.
As
we approach the Lord in prayer, we must also remember that we are completely
and totally dependent on Him. If we think that we can voice a quick prayer and
then do things on our own, God will very likely let us test that assertion.
However, if we go to prayer knowing that God is our only hope, He will
certainly move on our behalf.
It
is important to remember that our ability to approach God in prayer and His
willingness to listen are all rooted in mercy. We have done nothing to deserve
God’s grace and favor. God’s grace and mercy are always based on who He is, not
in who we are.
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