Learning How to Pray Effectively

In review of Nehemiah 1:8-9 it says, 8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’”

Bottom Line:

When the people disobeyed, they were scattered and destroyed, but God had promised that if they returned and obeyed, he would bring them back together.

What this means to me:

God is faithful to his promises. Even after the people were unfaithful and scattered, If they would turn, obey and live by what God had previously commanded, that He would return them back to the place he chose to be worshiped at.

Even though Nehemiah was doing well in his life, he became distraught over what happened to his people. Nehemiah was moved to pray these words as recorded in Nehemiah 1:8-9, “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’” (NLT)

What I’m learning is that there are four keys things that lead to Nehemiah’s answered prayer that I can learn from:

First, I should base my request on God’s character. Pray like I know God will answer me: “I’m expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem, God!"

Next, confess the sins of which I’m aware of. After Nehemiah bases his prayer on who God is, he confesses his sins. He says, “I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us” (Nehemiah 1:6b-7 NLT). It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when it happened; he was most likely born in captivity. Yet he’s including himself in the national sins. He says, “I’ve been a part of the problem.”

Then claim the promises of God. Nehemiah prays to the Lord, saying, “Please remember what you told your servant Moses” (Nehemiah 1:8a). Nehemiah reminds God of a promise he made to the nation of Israel. In effect, he prays, “God, you warned through Moses that if we were unfaithful, we would lose the land of Israel. But you also promised that if we repent, you’d give it back to us.” But does God have to be reminded? No. Does he forget what he’s promised? No. I should say this because it helps me remember what God has promised.

Lastly I should be very specific in what I ask for. If I want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If my prayers consist of general requests, how will I know if they’re answered?

In summary, Nehemiah made his request to God based on what God had said in the past. He admitted his and his people's wrongdoings. He then claimed the promises of God. Lastly he was specific in what he wanted next.