Carrying the Burden: Power of Prayer

When something happens to us or to our immediate family and friends, it deeply troubles us, causing worry and a heavy burden that occupies our minds. However, when the same issue affects others, we often don’t feel as deeply concerned or burdened. We may offer comforting words, but we don’t show the same level of care as we would for ourselves or our loved ones.

In the Book of Nehemiah, we find valuable lessons in how he responded to the plight of others. When Nehemiah learned about the Jewish remnant who had survived the exile and their difficult living conditions, he sought to understand their situation in detail. He questioned one of his brothers about their state and the condition of Jerusalem, demonstrating genuine concern and a heart for action.

Questions of Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:2 'Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. '

• What he questions is from people of Judah - “under bondage”, how the (Jewish) people have survived and how Jerusalem is also ruled in the bondage of Babylon kingdom.

Nehemiah 1:3 'They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” '

• The survivors are in great trouble and disgrace- People are in trouble and in disgrace (treated with many insulting ways)

• The walls of Jerusalem are broken and its gate in fire

• This situation can be likened to the present condition in Manipur, where many homes are being burned, churches are being destroyed, and people are enduring immense hardship and suffering.

How did Nehemiah respond ?

Nehemiah 1:4 'When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. '

• Upon hearing the news, Nehemiah did not react with anger or confrontation but expressed his emotions deeply. He grieved over the suffering of his brothers and sisters in exile.

• He went to a mourning mode after hearing this state he sat down and wept in sorrow.

• His mourning led him to seek God through fasting and prayer, pouring out his emotions to God rather than relying on human solutions.

• He prayed for some days that indicates that he prayed for many days fasting and seeking God with great zeal.

Lessons to Learn

• Are we in this state today for any of our nations atrocities ?

• Are we weeping the unsaved souls ?

• Are we worried about our neighbourhood who are lost in salvation and bondage due to sins ?

• Do we weep for the rampant sins our children are facing ?

• Without weeping we cannot win the souls.

• Ask God to give this kind of a burden to pray for them in mourning . Matthew 5:4 ' Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Intercessory prayer learning’s

Lesson 1 - Praise and worship God -

Nehemiah 1:5 'Then I said: “ Lord , the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, '

• Nehemiah praised Almighty to get his attention to his prayers

• Nehemiah praised God for the great and awesomeness character of God

• Nehemiah praised God for the love he has on him

• Nehemiah praised God for the faithfulness he has on him.

Lessons to Learn

• We never praise God enough, many times we start our prayer on what we want directly we assume God is sitting and waiting to hear our laundry list of petitions

• He is our Lord almighty we need to approach him with reverence and awe to praise him, when we pray our prayers with praise and worshiping God the enemies gates are broken

Lesson 2 Pleading & Confessing to God for his attention -

Nehemiah 1:6 'let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. '

• Nehemiah plead with a humble cry for God’s attention - let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant

• Nehemiah pleaded with God day and night for the people of Israel - praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel

• Confessing Sins before God for the exile people - I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. '

• Nehemiah confessed the sins as the word says Nehemiah 1:7 'We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. '

  • Nehemiah confessed sins in specific, nothing generic

  • Nehemiah confessed the wicked acts they performed..

  • Remember wicked things come out of heart. The inside aspects of something’s which is mostly unseen from human eyes.

  • Nehemiah confessed the disobedience of the laws and decrees that’s given to them by Moses.

Lessons to Learn

• Biggest mistake we make is we exclude ourselves from the sin when we confess for others. We need to know we are also sinners in God’s eyes and when we plead we need to wash ourselves before we seek for others

• Here he states “We Israelites”, then he includes himself and all his father’s family.

• Many times we don’t confess the sins in specific, here when Nehemiah prays he includes himself .This is a main reason our intercessory prayer is not effective..

• We don’t pray with the burden to pray day and night. We pray for few min and let this prayer die down, and not like how Nehemiah prayed for many days with the same zeal.

• We need to pray like how Abraham prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah - Genesis 18:16-33

• We need to pray like Daniel. (Daniel 9) He prayed with great burden for people.

• When you look at how Stephen prayed when he was stoned, that got the Saul to Paul Acts 7:59-60 'While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.' Acts 8:1 (a’) And Saul approved of their killing him. … '

Lesson 3 Pleading & Using God’s word for his attention

Nehemiah 1:8-10 '“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. '

• Nehemiah reminds of Moses instructions to God, he pleads for the exile “even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon”

• Nehemiah reminds of God’s mighty hand who can redeem them - “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. '

Lessons to Learn

• The mistakes we do is, we plead based on what we want to do, we don’t quote the Bible verse to use that promise for God to help us

• When we use the Bible quote and promises that aligns to Gods will he will lead us to hear us or direct us to the right path when our paths are wrong. Isaiah‬ ‭8‬:‭‭20‬ ‭Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.”

• Meditate the word and use the Word to inherit the blessing from God.The Word is our sword and greatest asset to get what we need from God. the Word can guide us in every situation to give the comfort.

• Without daily meditation the Word will not come and we cannot inherit these words. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭“but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

Lesson 4 Pleading for God’s attention

Nehemiah 1:11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.'

• Pleading for his attention to his prayer. By asking God’s attention , by having his ears attentive “Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servants

• He humbled himself as a servant to God.

• He asks God to grant specific success in front of the king as he was the cupbearer

• He asks to grant success today in presence of Man (which is his king), he is a cub bearer to king. The Prayer was answered by God, we read in Nehemiah 2:2-8 where the king asked why he was sorrow filled and asked him what is the help he needed, he was a cupbearer to king to hold the cup, getting an attention from the king was possible by his prayer. The king sent a favour letter to the governor and safe passage by sending kings people along with him.

Lessons to Learn

• We think God is ready to hear us when we call, yes he does, but the reverence and humbleness only will make him hear us, not by just saying God hear my prayer.., the reverence comes from humbling to hear our prayer..

• We need to learn how to delight God with our prayer that he will be attentive to our prayer. Like how a baby cries for attention to its parents

• Because of Abraham’s desperate prayers to God for sodom and Gomorrah, God remembered his prayers to save Lot and his family. Genesis‬ ‭19‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.” ‭‭

Summary to reflect back

As we reflect Nehemiah 1 , look to see what can you pray for and what conditions trouble you most, ask God to give you the burden to pray. He will use you mightily. don’t be deterred if you encounter struggles. As you pray the enemy want us to be self centred and not look at others and plead to God, he will create countless issues in our life to distract and we look away from prayer, don’t give up, if you taste the success to pray for others your needs will automatically be taken care of. As the promise is Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” ‭