Praying Effectively, Part 2

| BY SEAN CAVENDER |

We began a study on prayer by examining the prayers of Daniel and how he approached God often, with fervency, and with repentance. Another “giant” of faith and prayer is Nehemiah. If we ever feel that our prayers are void of any true power then we would do well to follow in the footsteps of Daniel and Nehemiah. Read Nehemiah 1:5-11 and you will begin to see how powerful your prayers can truly be.

Pray Reverently
Nehemiah described God in a perfect way and one that God is completely deserving of receiving. He identified God as the Lord of heaven, great, and awesome (Nehemiah 1:5). When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He said: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). When we give God reverence, we honor His lordship and rule in heaven, and we pledge our willingness to obey Him. One of the most basic things we need to do as we pray is remember that we are addressing the Creator of all things and the one who has control over the universe, and can accomplish great things. 

Pray Confidently
What might strike a reader of Nehemiah’s prayer is how confident he approaches God. There is nothing wrong with being confident in the faithfulness, mercy, and perfection of God. Nehemiah acknowledge God for His existence and rightly praised Him for it. He also recognized God as the giver of covenants, the keeper of promises, and His mercy He offers to those who serve Him. Christians can boldly and confidently approach God in the same manner as Nehemiah did so many years ago (Hebrews 4:16).

Pray Devotedly
One much-needed aspect of prayer that we often forget to mention is the aspect of commitment and devotion. When we pray to God, we ought to not only make requests of God to fulfill. Our prayers should reflect our willingness to obey the Lord in all His commands. Nehemiah acknowledged the children of Israel and their disobedience to the laws and commands (Nehemiah 1:7). However, he reflects his change in heart by offering himself as a servant to the Lord (Nehemiah 1:10). When we pray, we need to pray that God’s will be done on earth as in heaven, but how will that be done? Through our obedience and demonstration of the will of God. Pray with a sense of devotion and commitment to God, as His servant Nehemiah did. 

Our prayers will become much more effective if we will learn to pray like the examples that we see in Scripture. Their prayers and devotion to God are encouraging and faith-building for us if we will apply these important lessons in our lives.