Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer:
Nehemiah Intercedes For The Remnant In Captivity.
Bible Text:
Nehemiah 1:1-11 NLT These are
the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.
(Nehemiah’s Concern for Jerusalem.)
1 In late autumn, in the month of
Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at
the fortress of Susa.
2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came
to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I
asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and
about how things were going in Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Things are not
going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are
in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn
down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4 When I heard this, I sat down
and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to
The God Of Heaven.
5 Then I said, “O Lord, God Of
Heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of unfailing
love with those who love Him and obey His commands,
6 listen to my prayer! Look down
and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess
that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have
sinned!
7 We have sinned terribly by not
obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us
through your servant Moses.
8 “Please remember what you
told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to Me, I will
scatter you among the nations.
9 But if you return to Me and
obey My commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the
ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen
for My name to be honored.’
10 “The people you rescued by
your great power and strong hand are your servants.
11 O Lord, please hear my prayer!
Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you.
Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put
it into his heart to be kind to me.”
In those days I was the king’s
cup-bearer.
Nehemiah was a
Jewish man who had a high position in the Persian court, a cup
bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia, with whom, many think was Queen
Esther.
There was always a
constant flow of information from the Jews of Palestine, and in this
case the news came from Nehemiah's own brother, Hanani. And the news
was not good, all of sacked Jerusalem was in ruins, and that was to
be expected to some extent, but it was now some 20 years after
Persian rule, and many were in Jerusalem, and yet the city and its
walls were yet in a state of destruction.
Nehemiah, prayed to
The Lord for divine favor as he would go to the King and beg to
return to his homeland and restore, Solomon's house (Royal palace),
the wall of the city, and the Temple.
Nehemiah's
prayer of confession of personal and national sin, and his desire to
restore Jerusalem.
5 Then
I said, “O Lord, God Of Heaven, the great and awesome God
who keeps His covenant of unfailing love with those who love Him and
obey His commands,
6 listen to my prayer! Look down
and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess
that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have
sinned!
7 We have sinned terribly by not
obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us
through your servant Moses.
8 “Please remember what you
told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to Me, I will
scatter you among the nations.
9 But if you return to Me and
obey My commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the
ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen
for My name to be honored.’
10 “The people you rescued by
your great power and strong hand are your servants.
11 O Lord, please hear my prayer!
Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you.
Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put
it into his heart to be kind to me.”
.
II Chronicles
7:14 KJV
If My people, which are called by My
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn
from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
And what was the
result of Nehemiah's intercession?
Nehemiah 2:1-10 NLT
(Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem.)
1 Early the following spring, in the
month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’
reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared
sad in his presence.
2 So the king asked me, “Why are
you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply
troubled.” Then I was terrified,
3 but I replied, “Long live the
king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are
buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4 The king asked, “Well, how can I
help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven,
5 I replied, “If it please the
king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah
to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
6 The king, with the queen sitting
beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you
return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king
agreed to my request.
7 I also said to the king, “If it
please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of
the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me
travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah.
8 And please give me a letter
addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing
him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of
the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.”
And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God
was on me.
9 When I came to the governors of
the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king’s
letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers
and horsemen to protect me.
And Nehemiah,
blessed by The Living God, who hears and answers prayer, rebuilt the
gates of Jerusalem and its walls, despite hardships and enemy
oppositions.
“There can be no
victory until a battle is fought.”
II
Samuel 22:1-51 NLT (David’s
Song of Praise)
1 David sang this song to The Lord
on the day The Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul.
2 He sang: “The Lord is my Rock,
my Fortress, and my Savior;
3 my God is my Rock, in
whom I find protection.
He is my Shield, the Power that
saves me,
and my Place Of Safety.
He is my Refuge, my Savior,
the one who saves me from
violence.
4 I called on The Lord, who is
worthy of praise,
and He saved me from my enemies.
5 “The waves of death overwhelmed
me;
floods of destruction swept over
me.
6 The grave wrapped its ropes around
me;
death laid a trap in my path.
7 But in my distress I cried out to
The Lord;
yes, I cried to my God for help.
He heard me from His sanctuary;
my cry reached His ears.
8 “Then the earth quaked and
trembled.
The foundations of the heavens
shook;
they quaked because of His
anger.
9 Smoke poured from His nostrils;
fierce flames leaped from His
mouth.
Glowing coals blazed forth from
Him.
10 He opened the heavens and came
down;
dark storm clouds were beneath
His feet.
11 Mounted on a mighty angelic
being, He flew,
soaring on the wings of the
wind.
12 He shrouded Himself in darkness,
veiling His approach with dense
rain clouds.
13 A great brightness shone around
Him,
and burning coals blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of The Most High
resounded.
15 He shot arrows and scattered His
enemies;
His lightning flashed, and they
were confused.
16 Then at the command of The Lord,
at the blast of His breath,
the bottom of the sea could be seen,
and the foundations of the earth
were laid bare.
17 “He reached down from heaven
and rescued me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful
enemies,
from those who hated me and were
too strong for me.
19 They attacked me at a moment when
I was in distress,
but The Lord supported me.
20 He led me to a place of safety;
He rescued me because He
delights in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me for doing
right;
He restored me because of my
innocence.
22 For I have kept the ways of The
Lord;
I have not turned from my God to
follow evil.
23 I have followed all His
regulations;
I have never abandoned His
decrees.
24 I am blameless before God;
I have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord rewarded me for doing
right.
He has seen my innocence.
26 “To the faithful you show
yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show
integrity.
27 To the pure you show yourself
pure,
but to the crooked you show
yourself shrewd.
28 You rescue the humble,
but your eyes watch the proud
and humiliate them.
29 O Lord, you are my Lamp.
The Lord Lights up my darkness.
30 In your strength I can crush an
army;
with my God I can scale any
wall.
31 “God’s way is perfect.
All The Lord’s promises prove
true.
He is a Shield for all who look
to Him for protection.
32 For who is God except The Lord?
Who but our God is a solid Rock?
33 God is my Strong Fortress,
and He makes my way perfect.
34 He makes me as surefooted as a
deer,
enabling me to stand on mountain
heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle;
He strengthens my arm to draw a
bronze bow.
36 You have given me your shield of
victory;
your help has made me great.
37 You have made a wide path for my
feet
to keep them from slipping.
38 “I chased my enemies and
destroyed them;
I did not stop until they were
conquered.
39 I consumed them;
I struck them down so they did
not get up;
they fell beneath my feet.
40 You have armed me with strength
for the battle;
you have subdued my enemies
under my feet.
41 You placed my foot on their
necks.
I have destroyed all who hated
me.
42 They looked for help, but no one
came to their rescue.
They even cried to The Lord, but
He refused to answer.
43 I ground them as fine as the dust
of the earth;
I trampled them in the gutter
like dirt.
44 “You gave me victory over my
accusers.
You preserved me as the ruler
over nations;
people I don’t even know now
serve me.
45 Foreign nations cringe before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they
submit.
46 They all lose their courage
and come trembling from their
strongholds.
47 “The Lord lives! Praise to my
Rock!
May God, The Rock Of My
Salvation, be exalted!
48 He is the God who pays back those
who harm me;
He brings down the nations under
me
49 and delivers me from my
enemies.
You hold me safe beyond the reach of
my enemies;
you save me from violent
opponents.
50 For this, O Lord, I will praise
you among the nations;
I will sing praises to your
name.
51 You give great victories to your
king;
you show unfailing love to your
anointed,
to David and all his descendants
forever.”
Nehemiah prayed and
he was victorious!
Are you,
interceding for someone? “There can be no victory until a battle is
fought.”
Luke 19:41,42
KJV (Jesus weeps and prays over Jerusalem.)
41 But as He came closer to
Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, He began to weep.
42 “How I wish today that you of
all people would understand the way to peace..."
Luke 22:32 KJV
(The Lord speaks to Simon Peter.)
"... I have prayed for thee,
that thy faith fail not..."
John 17:20 KJV
(Lord's Prayer.)
Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;
Who are you
interceding for?
“Pastor, don't
you realize that's the job of the Priest/ Pastor?”
Yes, that is true,
but it is also the calling that you and I have as well!
Job
16:21 NLT (Job's prayer)
21
I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates
between friends.
22
For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return.
Joel
2:17 NLT
Let
the priests, who minister in The Lord’s presence, stand and weep
between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray,
“Spare your people, Lord!.."
Acts 12:5-12 NLT (Read the whole
story 1-17.)
5 But while Peter was in prison, the
church prayed very earnestly for him.
6 The night before Peter was to be
placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two
soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.
7 Suddenly, there was a bright light
in the cell, and an Angel Of The Lord stood before Peter.
The Angel struck him on the side to
awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his
wrists.
8 Then The Angel told him, “Get
dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your
coat and follow me,” The Angel ordered.
9 So Peter left the cell, following
The Angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t
realize it was actually happening.
10 They passed the first and second
guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this
opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started
walking down the street, and then
The Angel suddenly left him.
11 Peter finally came to his senses.
“It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent His Angel and
saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to
do to me!”
12 When he realized this, he went to
the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered
for prayer.
Romans 1:9 KJV
For God is my witness, whom I serve
with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make
mention of you always in my prayers;
Ephesians 1:15,16 KJV
15 Wherefore I
also, after I heard of your faith in The Lord Jesus, and love unto
all the saints,
16 Cease not to
give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT
14 When I think
of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,
15 the Creator
of everything in heaven and on earth.
16 I pray that
from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner
strength through His Spirit.
17 Then Christ
will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots
will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
18 And may you have the power to
understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how
high, and how deep His love is.
19 May you experience the love of
Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be
made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from
God.
Ephesians 6:18
NLT
Pray in The
Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be
persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Philippians
1:3,4 KJV
3 Every time I think of you, I give
thanks to my God.
4 Whenever I pray, I make my
requests for all of you with joy,
Colossians 1:3
KJV
We always pray for you, and we give
thanks to God, The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians
4:12,13 KJV
12 Epaphras, a member of your own
fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He
always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and
perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of
God.
13 I can assure you that he prays
hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
I Thessalonians
1:2,3 KJV
2 We always thank God for all of you
and pray for you constantly.
3 As we pray to our God and Father
about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the
enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Timothy 2:1
KJV
I exhort
therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
James 5:16 KJV
Confess your faults one to another,
and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Dear friend, keep
praying!
