PRAYING SUCCESSFULLY 6

PRAYING SUCCESSFULLY 6

Nehemiah 1:10-11

It may seem so obvious, but when you pray, pray specifically. Don’t beat around the bush. Tell the Lord all that is on your mind.

Acknowledge what God has already done for you. Nehemiah recalled God’s saving His children. He recalled God’s gracious hand on them and seeing them through the good and bad times of their life as a nation. He recalled God embracing them as His own.

When was the last time you took the time to acknowledge God’s hand on your life? Have you thanked the Lord lately for saving you from your past and giving you a new life? What would your life be like today if the Lord would not have stepped into it and pulled you out of the mess you had made of yourself? Have you thought much about how God has been with you and seen you through the roller coaster of life? Have you given much thought as to what it means to be a child of God?

When was the last time you took an inventory of your heart’s desire? Nehemiah expressed his, “We delight in revering your name.” Can you honestly say that you delight yourself in the Lord? Does the Lord thrill your soul? Do you take pleasure in humbling yourself before the Lord and worshiping Him? Does your soul pant for the Lord? If you want answers to your prayers, you must learn to love Him enough that your heart’s desire is to honor Him, please Him, and serve Him.

Nehemiah asked the Lord for success on his journey. He put His confidence and trust in the Lord and asked God to honor His trust by giving Him a successful trip. It’s not wrong to ask the Lord for success if being successful will honor and glorify God. It is not wrong to ask the Lord for success if you pray submissively to His will for you.

Successful praying is living in close fellowship with God and living in submission to Him. The closer we live in fellowship to the Lord, the more we will pray within the will of God for us, and the more answers to our prayers we will see.