DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 20 January 2025: The Burden of Prayer
Text: Nehemiah 1:5-11 (KJV)
5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.
KEY VERSE: Nehemiah 1:5
“And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments.”
According to Adlai Stevenson, a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, “True patriotism is not manifested in a short, frenzied burst of emotion. It is the tranquil, steady dedication of a lifetime.”
Nehemiah was an embodiment of patriotism. In today’s passage, we see his burden for the state of Jerusalem and the remnant Jews metamorphose into fervent intercessory prayers for his nation and a sincere plea for special favour before the Persian king, Artaxerxes. He requested permission to go and attend to the ailing condition of the people and the city of his origin, its broken walls and burnt gates. Apostle Paul expressed this kindred passion when he prayed for his Jewish compatriots (Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1-4).
We must be guided by the notable acts of this noble servant of God and his prayers of faith to excel as he did. With genuine concern, we should continually cry unto God for our dear nations and the multitude of unsaved people around us. Nehemiah, though a statesman, was nonetheless pious and prayerful. Following scriptural patterns and principles, he sought God in his need. In his prayers, he commenced with adoration. He revered God and requested His intervention. He expressed adulation – he admired God and identified with the nation’s sinfulness. Like him, we must accept our faults before God. He also restrospected God’s promises and past deliverances for Israel and appealed for God’s mercy. Nehemiah did not beat about the bush in his petition. Having prayed with confidence, he was appreciative and awaited the answer to his prayer.
We must seek to honour God when we approach Him in prayer. We must also ensure that we are not living in sin while asking God to forgive the sins of others. The definiteness expressed in his supplication opens one’s eyes to the fact that he was not a stranger to the throne of grace; therefore, boldly yet humbly, he approached God to obtain grace to help in time of need. We also learn to pray in faith because it is impossible to please God without it. Our privileges in life must not deprive us of being Christlike and identifying with less advantaged people.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
To succeed, prayer must affect the heart before it ascends to God.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Exodus 12-16
Daily Manna 20 January 2025
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