Prayer and the Will of God

Get-R-Done: Walking With God; Accomplishing His Will

Prayer and the Will of God
Nehemiah 1:4-11

The effectiveness of my Public life is determined by my Private life

When Should I Pray?

Before I do Anything Else

2 Types of Prayer:

1. Regular/Persistent prayer (4-6)

Note: 4 months between 1:1 and 2:1

2. Flash/Flare prayers (2:4)

“You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” John Bunyan

The challenge is to make prayer our first Priority and not our last Resort

Why Should I Pray?

1. Prayer is my declaration of my Dependence upon God

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

2. Prayer Lightens my load

“but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

We find incredible strength on our knees!

3. Prayer releases God’s Guidance and Power in my life

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Prayer helps turn the impossible into the possible!

How Should I Pray?

Our prayers tell a lot about us.

1. Base my requests on God’s Character (5-6a)

Praise is Acknowledging who God is

2. Confess the sin in my life (6b-7)

Confession is Admitting who I am and what I have done

Note the personal and Corporate nature of the confession

Get R Done people accept the Blame, while others attempt to pass the Buck

Get R Done people take personal Responsibility, while others Excuse and Accuse

3. Claim the Promises of God (8-10)

Nothing pleases God more than when we take His promises seriously enough to claim them.

The strength of my prayer life is determined by how well I know the promises of God.

4. Be very Specific (11)

How will you know when God has answered your prayer?

Nehemiah was willing to be a part of the Answer to his own prayer

Summary: The Type of Prayer God Answers

• A prayer of Conviction of who God is
• A prayer of Confession of what I am
• A prayer of Confidence in what God has promised
• A prayer of Commitment to be a part of the answer

“What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.” E.M. Bounds

“The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing; but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; not those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time and pray.” S.D. Gordon