Nehemiah's Prayer Team

“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…” –Nehemiah 1:11

Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter 1:1-11 is one of the most talked about things from this great book of the Bible. And rightfully so! You can feel the deep, heartfelt, conviction coming through in his words. His weeping, morning, and fasting speak to his commitment and sincerity of heart. Ever wonder what made Nehemiah such an effective prayer warrior? Obviously there are many things that contributed, but I think that he gives us strong indication of what can be an easily overlooked strength in Ch. 1 verse 11. Look closely, Nehemiah asks God not only to listen to him, but ALSO “to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name”. Wow did you catch that? Nehemiah assumed that he was not alone! He prays as if he is a part of an army of praying servants that have been moved to their knees.
We can be quite the opposite however, we think that we are the only one seeing the needs and since the problem is too big for us to tackle alone, we get defeated before we get started. We may pray, but our prayers turn into distant wishes, void of faith, for a far away dream that we honestly don’t feel is possible. But if we take NEHEMIAH’S approach, we pray believing that we are not alone. That our little prayer is among many prayers that matter to God, and that he has a plan for what he has broken our hearts to pray for. We pray with the confidence that we have unidentified teammates crying out to God just as we are! Check out this powerful quote:
“You may think that your petition is of small account, but it is the many littles that make up the great whole. A pinch of incense from each worshipper will fill the house of the Lord with sweet perfume. Small lumps of coal cast into the glowing furnace will still further increase its heat. Do not think that we can afford to lose your prayer, whoever you may be; but; cheerfully contribute it to the general treasury of the church’s devotion.” -Charles H. Spurgeon
Take some time to pray. Pray to God on behalf of the broken people of your community; pray with confidence as Nehemiah did knowing that your prayer are a part of a much bigger group of prayers crying out to the God who hears.