Nehemiah 1:5-6

Hey guys,

Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement from my first blog post! I have so many things i want to share with you, but i am trying not to make my posts too long. Today i wanted to share a few thoughts from Nehemiah 1:5-6. I hope you are able to take time to read each verse and listen to the things the Holy Spirit wants to speak to you about. I would love to hear your comments too!!

Read Nehemiah 1 (www.biblegateway.com)

Nehemiah 1:5

Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands..."

In Nehemiah 1:4 we read about Nehemiah weeping and praying. Then here in verse 5, Nehemiah begins to worship and adore God and remind him of His character.

I think its important to look at how he came before the Lord. First in a posture of surrender and humility and sadness but he didn't stay there. He then moved into a place of worship and adoration.

Have you been stuck in a season of sadness? I don't think we are supposed to stay in that place long! Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you about the condition of your heart. Is there a lie you believe that is keeping you in this sad place? What is His Truth?

Take a minute to speak Truth back to the Lord. Even if you don't yet feel like it, praise Him for His characteristics. Look at Psalm 103 where David is telling his soul to praise the Lord. Speak these verses and eventually your feelings will follow!

Psalm 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

Psalm 103 :1-4 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

^{Isaiah 61 :10} I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

If you need to stop here and think through the previous questions please do!

Nehemiah 1:6

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 house, have committed against you.

After praising the Lord, Nehemiah begins to confess his sins and the sins of the people.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to any areas in your heart and mind that you need to confess. Ask him to reveal sins in your community that need to be confessed to the Lord. Take a minute to listen and then *confess.

*CONFESS: Stating the Truth back to the Lord. (like when a police is trying to get a criminal to confess) It is not begging the Lord for forgiveness or saying i am sorry. Secrecy and shame are marks of the enemy on us, so when we confess we need to do it out loud so the enemy hears us. Don't just think it, say it! (Donna thank you for sharing this insight during listening prayer training)

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts

Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets and The Happy Intercessor by Beni Johnson are great books on our authority in prayer. They are both helpful in understanding our role as an intercessor and how the Lord uses us to pray for others and our communities. i highly recommend both of them.