The Prayer Path - Nehemiah 1:5-11

Praying in effect pleases God on his throne and mankind. That is the praying is not having our way with God. It is God having his way with a prayer is not our attempt to manipulate and control God.

It is our effort to have him control. Prayer is not off putting pressure on God it is God pleasing research costs. The people who know to gain the maximum attention of God are people who know they are sinners and they do not pray with loopholes in mind ever prayer. Stephen was describing a moment ago maybe trying to bribe or manipulate God into doing something for you in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was deeply burdened for his people.

If you've ever been so burdened for someone that it drove you to your knees, you know exactly how Nehemiah felt in today's lesson.

You're not just going to learn about Nehemiah's burden you're going to listen in on a powerful prayer. That's a model for how we should pray this is wisdom for the heart.

The Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey, I'm glad you joined us for a powerful lesson that Stevens calling the prayer we've discovered thus far in the book of Nehemiah.

A man who deeply wanted the maximum attention of God.

He wept profusely, he fasted not so much for the discipline of his own soul and heart before God, but because he had lost his appetite. He mourned as one who mourned over the dead, and he prayed a lamenting beseeching begging prayer for four months and more. He was a man who was deeply burdened over the condition of his broken world, the burden of Nehemiah is to become our burden as well as we seek to represent the glory and honor and authority of our wonderful God in the face of the broken down world is his burden could be best defined.

I believe three different ways or with three nuances and let me give them to you. They sort of fill out a complete picture of what a godly burden looks like Marana godly burden is an overwhelming concern over or with some aspect of human distress or sin. I had a call from an attorney in our church had taken a cross-country trip that you and I believe God may be burdening me to go back to an Indian reservation where I was in the Dakotas what you think. I took it I saw the poverty and the brokenness and the need to think God would have me perhaps roll my sleeves up and go back for a week or two serving in whatever way possible. Communicating the gospel. That was an easy yes godly burden has a way of interrupting your life. Rarely is it convenient second layer godly burden includes an irresistible conviction that God has an available remedy, we believe we have the answer for the world is found it is now in Christ the Redeemer. That is our conviction. Third, godly burden surrenders with unreserved compliance that God use me to deliver the remedy.

That's where you step forward.

That's where you discover whether or not you had it to begin with this burden, you gain the maximum attention of God, you share the anguish of God over a fallen world and you like Jesus we over Jerusalem godly burden has a way of disrupting your life in the average Christian is burdened about nothing because it will cost him something for Nehemiah burden will cost him everything and it seems that he knows it well, so we praise led nine year verse six.

Be attentive, and thine eyes open to hear the prayer of thy servant.

Does he think God is always listening Lord please listen now the thinking God's eyes are temporarily close. Verse 11 oh Lord, I beseech the main dining year, be attentive to the prayer of thy servant is he think God is somehow absentmindedly roaming about his universe. I think what's happening here is the Nehemiah doesn't want to take another step until he knows that he has the attention the ear DI of God in its fullest measure maximum attention could be described in other words, in that intimacy and in the communion that fellowship with God, which God says that he will reward in that seeking hardly pursues him above all other things and then God will grant to that one the necessary courage and resources and faith and strength to restore some part of the broken world that God has burden for any man or woman can walk the path of the restorer and rebuilder. He or she must first like Nehemiah here travel the path to God in prayer for our study. I want us to view this prayer as if it were a path to God.

One author said that the secret to Nehemiah service was what Nehemiah discovered in secret. What made Nehemiah successful in public before mankind was that he was successful in private with God and what you basically have in chapter 1 is the public record of Nehemiah's private life. We are given. His prayer so I want to divide along the lines of force steppingstones along this path we should with him walking gaining the maximum attention of the other first step along this prayer path is a clear priority of sovereign notice of Nehemiah's prayer begins in verse five, I beseech the old Lord God of heaven. The great and awesome God ladies and gentlemen the predicate past the living room ceiling is prayer the recognizes first and foremost that God is sovereign and man is servant proper praying and effect places God on his throne and mankind that is fee see proper praying is not us having our way with God is God having his way with a prayer is not our attempt to manipulate and control God.

It is our ever dad him manipulate and control us. Prayer is not us putting pressure on God is God placing pressure on us.

If you want that kind of pressure. It will pray like this meant great as he prayed he recognized that God was totally sovereign, Graybar house red ones, shocked his congregation. He was well known pastor expositor. By the way you think I spent too long in the book barn house took his congregation to the book of Romans over 14 years were coming up on Roman. He shocked his congregation by speaking on the subject of prayer. In his first words were prayer changes nothing and they did what you did. Wheels are spinning. Prayer changes nothing. Not exactly an exciting introduction on why we should pray what he was trying to do was get his congregation to focus on the sovereignty of God. God is seated in the heavens that nothing ever surprises him. Nothing falls outside of his control. God and in prayer cannot be bribed or cajoled or impressed store turned that which is recorded in Scripture is God pretending ever got changing his mind is what we call a theologically and from anthropomorphism that is God having some human characteristics so that we can somehow understand God, but God is changeable. So when we go to God. It is the somehow say the right words and twisted his arm. It is to discover what God wants is Simon we are serving until you're ready to pray so that you can change God but so that God can change you, you're not really ready to pray. In fact, I would add to Barnhouse a statement to say this prayer changes nothing of God changes everything about Nehemiah began. Oh Lord God of heaven.

By the way, the Lord taught his disciples in Matthew six verse nine is how I want to pray that here's what you pray. But here's how you pray, pray like this and you begin with the words say with me. Our father who art in heaven, Nehemiah, cradle, Lord God of heaven were to pray all father who art in heaven, the prayer the model prayer, as it were of the Old Testament believer is the model for the New Testament believers.

It begins with the recognition of this priority and this priority is God's sovereignty all God you reign in heaven.

That is not so much his address as it is his attribute of God, who art above all, there is rain above you are transcendent you are either the van your majestic you are in control over so we think of you as we pray as being beyond, as it were in the habit, a reference to his sovereign attribute. Although we happened to come boldly to this heavenly father. We then technology is a holy father. That's what David met from Psalm number 99, the Lord reigns, but the peoples, and slapped him on the back and no other people's trouble. He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool. We read holy is he this is a way of reshaping the way we pray because it reshapes our view of a God who must often becomes in our minds somewhat less than that, we make him somewhat smaller, more manageable, safer.

This is the living God told Job as I peruse the book of Job this week. He thunders with his voice. He told Joe that he wore the clothing of dignity and eminence on her Majesty he commanded the morning he made the Dawn to know its place.

He laid the foundations of the earth and created its measurements. He entered the currents of the sea. He walked the recesses of the devotion. This is the sovereign God knows where the light lives in the way of the east wind. He is the one was created, the purposes of floods and thunderbolts ice and hail.

He leads forth the constellations. He determines the orbits of planets.

He counts the clouds and tips. The water jars of heaven has created the animals with their instincts. He is the one was spread the heavens like a mirror. He is the one exalted in power and surrounded by Majesty, try praying to that. This one is seated in the heavens. He is both loving and terrifying. He is both gracious and hallway seat on pray to him like a genie who will give you three wishes.

If you rub this lamp of prayer hard enough it'll go to him as if he were some doting grandfather lollipops in his pocket as if he was one man to a gumball machine you insert your quarter prayer and you get some candy no picture him as you pray, high and lifted up upon his grade and majestic throne with angels hovering about him continuously since the dawn of creation simply chanting holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, how can you picture that how can you describe that Nehemiah can't as he prays you look at the next phrase is, oh Lord God of heaven. He just goes on to say the grades and awesome God.

That's the best you can do your grades and you are awesome. JI Packer wrote of Nehemiah.

At this point is a man who grasped the greatness of God himself to this kind of perspective men and women as you pray leads to this kind of priority of God's ownership and rulership.

I want to go on to say that a confession of God's sovereignty is always followed by it always involves the next thing that is a confession we get a glimpse of his sovereignty. We will have an accompanying sense of our sin.

Isaiah saw the vision of God's glory, and he immediately responded by saying God I am a man of unclean lips. I have an deliver on a group of people of unclean lips. The apostle Paul grew in his understanding of the character God said near the end of his life. I am the chief of sinners. A person who doesn't have a clear priority of God's sovereignty will never pray with a clear understanding of his own sin. Thus, the path of prayer is cut short of all the rich wonderful benefits. So we need. Secondly, a contrite acknowledgment of sin. If we want maximum attention of God. Nehemiah in verse six prays let thine ear now. Be attentive and I and eyes open to hear the prayer of my servant which I am praying before the now day and night on the half of the songs of Israelite servants confessing the sins of the sons of Israel, which we have sinned against the I and my father's house sin. You can circle these pronouns by we Lord, let me tell you all what my forefathers did did they ever method up.

Let me tell you about my father, my relatives, my father's house, and library content. There no I in my father's house sin, perhaps for the first time Nehemiah was struck by the fact that he wasn't supposed to be in Susa. He was supposed to be in Jerusalem.

He refers to the covenant in verse five he calls God by his covenant name Yahweh elaborates on that covenant in verses eight and nine were in reserve. That step until later. The covenant with Yahweh.

However, for now that he refers to is what we call the Palestinian covenant. The covenant of the land, but for now for our study. He begins to confess almost as it were, with a fuller understanding that he wasn't where he was supposed to stay ever been there. You have been in some position or some lot in life may be involved even in some activity within you understand something about God that reveals something about you and you know you can stay there. He doesn't belong.

From this point on in the palace he belongs in Palestine.

He says I in my father's house have sinned and ask you something. You want the maximum attention of God.

Have you ever heard yourself.

Can you say do you say, oh God, I am a sinner. You notice he didn't say Lord we might've done something wrong here or Lord have made a few mistakes recently. You understand you know about me and my little indiscretions. Lord you know how flexible my expense report is, I suppose you saw the little episode of shall we say righteous indignation. That's just the way I am Lord I'm so glad you understand me know ladies and gentlemen.

God does not forgive excuses. He forgives set I owe you an apology. I got apparently liked of what God has convicted me about and I told you that story, you remember, and I had you all laughing and that's what made me feel better about me traveling at 60 miles an hour and a 45 mile in our sputum. I told you my six-year-old daughter was with me and she said that they believe going about 60 and then later she said that 45 and I told her it was a 45 was a guideline several days ago I was stopped by many didn't believe it was a guideline. I pulled in and literally around the barn so no one would see Salomé and that you know I thought about it as I was studying this passage about how I have reworded this and so for the last several days than something I've never done before. I'm going the speed limit. I set the cruise at 45 and he wrote you know what it's like a 45 and I need to now pray for safety, traffic hazard and I will go to court and will stand and say you know I'm guilty and all that out to surely this really came back today as I was studying all week. It's not right. Don't just stop with the word sin. By the way, I mean if you have trouble saying that little word.

Notice what Nehemiah does on December 7. We have acted very corruptly against the ever use that kind of language. Lord I am I correct. I have acted correctly in sin tends to be that which we do corruption tends to reflect on who we are, so will usually say that I am sitting with. I am corrupt. Strange is we have acted corruptly against the you have not kept the commandments nor the statutes nor the ordinances which thou didst command my servant Moses that is were guilty of sin were guilty of corruption were guilty of disobedience were guilty of breaking the law.

Did he delete anything out. The people who know how to gain the maximum attention of God are people who know they are sinners and they do not pray with loopholes in mind. David wrote his prayer of confession is on 51 the sacrifice of God. He says these are the sacrifices to gain the attention of God. They are a broken and they contrite heart broken hearted people first over themselves. The broken hearted's of the world because they have, see his greatness and their sin, and the desperate need of those they are surrounded by usually praying away were work held accountable to both his sovereignty and our sin.

He did hear in the wonderful thing is, the Bible promises that if you confess your what sin is faithful on the basis of Christ's death, burial and resurrection, he is faithful and he is just he upholds the law Christ paid the penalty of every law. We wrote that he is capable than in his faithfulness and his justice and cleansing us from all unrighteousness to wonderful truth and it's something that we gain when we acknowledge his sovereignty and acknowledge our sin. My wife came home from the grocery store several months ago with with a package of hot dogs, the kind we like to eat sellers of byproducts, artificial colors or flavors you brought this brand time is called Hebrew national kosher beef hot dogs as we were eating them. My wife, who is the consummate teacher read this package to the children and that she read it and that is great.

She finished I said honey that would make a great sermon illustration somewhere down the line. Can I can I have the package. She's used to the strange behavior she emptied it out and gave it to me. I kept it now for several months in this plastic baggies so they wouldn't give my study of rather kosher snow Hebrew national then the byline we answer to a higher authority than on the back.

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Imagine a company so convinced that they answer to a higher authority that governs the way they make dogs, if only every Christian lives as it were, with their lives with her hands with her with their hearts with their feet, stamped with this.

I answer to a higher authority in the way I live my life and when I go to him in prayer. Tell them anything. I am going to answer for every he is sovereign and I am certain we answer to a higher authority would be a great model for Christian living and for those here willing to use that as a standard for living. You are well on your way to gaining the maximum attention of God right there is more for us to learn this week through this book of Nehemiah and when we return tomorrow will bring you the next lesson in this series you been listening to Stephen Davey are Bible teacher on this daily broadcast called wisdom from the heart. We have a little bit of time today so I want to share with you some notes that we've received recently from listeners. Kimberly from here in North Carolina said wisdom for the heart has helped my family grow in the knowledge of Christ.

We have loved the snippets of historical facts that help explain the context of the culture in which it was written Carol from Texas said last summer a group of ladies, and I studied the life of Joseph from your Genesis series. I was enthralled with the study of creation as well as all of the research that you had done, we felt the life of Joseph and those around him come alive to each of us in a special way that truly impacted us. I pray that God continues to provide for your ministry so that we the listeners can continue to be blessed by these resources. Rhonda from West Virginia said I enjoy listening to your broadcast on the Internet and I'm thankful for it and the resources on your website. Thank you for that Rhonda and then one more from Roseann in South Carolina as I enter my seventh decade of living. My eyesight has begun to diminish. However, my spiritual vision has greatly improved as a result of listening to wisdom for the heart.

Thank you for studying the Scriptures and bringing the light of truth to the world. Well, thanks to all of you who sent us these notes, we want you to know that your support of our ministry is making a direct impact in the lives of many, many people we really enjoy hearing from you. You can write to us at wisdom for the hearts. PO Box 37297 Raleigh, NC 27627 our email address is info@wisdomonline.org you can also interact with our ministry on social media.

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Our staff can give you information when you call us today at 86 648 Bible.

In addition to Seth's book. You should know that Stephen wrote a book on this current series called Nehemiah if you want to go deeper in your study of Nehemiah. This hardback book would make a great addition to your library.

You can call us today to get information about Nehemiah or marvel at the mystery if you dial 86 648 Bible or 866-482-4253. Thanks for listening. Join us tomorrow for more wisdom for the heart