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O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your 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
D.L. MOODY
When Nehemiah began to pray, I have no idea whether he thought he himself was to be the instrument in God’s hand of the rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. But when a man gets into sympathy and harmony with God, then God prepares him for the work He has for him. No doubt he thought the Persian king might send one of his great warriors and accomplish the work with a great army of men; but after he had been praying for months, it may be, the thought flashed into his mind: “Why shouldn’t I go to Jerusalem myself and build those walls?”
Prayer for the work will soon arouse your own sympathy and effort.
ERWIN LUTZER
People ask, “Why pray for missionaries? Can’t God bless them without our prayers?” The answer is, of course, absolutely! Thankfully, He often blesses them even when we neglect to pray for them. But the purpose of prayer is not just to ask God to change circumstances; the purpose is to have our prayers change us. Even more important, prayer is intended to help us reenter into a time of fellowship with God.
As Moody pointed out in the case of Nehemiah, God used his prayer to recruit him to be a part of the answer. Prayer is asking God, “What will you have me to do?” And, as I like to emphasize, never interpret the silence of God as the indifference of God. God’s work may be invisible to us, but behind the scenes, He is putting events in place to accomplish His purpose.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).
PRAYER
Father, my heart longs to be prepared for all you want me to do.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What is your greatest struggle with prayer?
In your prayer life, which do you focus on more: asking God to change your circumstances or allowing Him to change you?