Day 50 – Prayer

Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

 3 They said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

 4 Thus, it happened, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

 5 I said, “I pray, JEHOVAH Elohiym of heaven, O great and awesome Elohiym, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We acted corruptly against You, and did not keep the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant, Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O JEHOVAH, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer.

God’s names:

JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal

Elohiym – Supreme God

Yeshuwa – Jesus

Theos – Supreme Divinity

Soter – Deliverer, Savior

Christos – Anointed One, Messiah

God’s character:

Covenant Keeper

Merciful

Mediator

What do you do when you hear devastating news? Do you despair, wring your hands, talk to others about what happened, or shut yourself down, and remain by yourself to think things through?

Nehemiah received the news about the devastation in Jerusalem: the walls were torn down and the temple burned. He grieved for Jerusalem and prayed to JEHOVAH Elohiym. He asked JEHOVAH to forgive him and his fathers for the sin which brought them into exile and destroyed the walls and temple. He reminded Elohiym what He promised in His mercy when His people called on His name after He sent them into exile.

When Solomon prayed the prayer of dedication for the temple in Jerusalem, he asked JEHOVAH to forgive His people and hear the prayer they prayed toward Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 6:36 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near; 37 yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’; 38 and when they return to You with their entire  heart and with their entire soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You chose, and toward the temple which I built for Your name: 39 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who sinned against You. 40 Now, my Elohiym, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place. 41 Now, therefore, arise, O JEHOVAH Elohiym, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O JEHOVAH Elohiym, be clothed with salvation, and let Your saints rejoice in goodness. 42 O JEHOVAH Elohiym, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed; remember the mercies of Your servant David.”

Nehemiah reminded JEHOVAH Elohiym about His promise to hear and forgive.

2 Chronicles 7:12 Then the JEHOVAH appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, “I heard your prayer, and chose this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

As Christians, you see and hear news about situations around the world that grieve Yeshuwa’s heart. He wants you to pray for His people who take the gospel to the far reaches of the world, who face atrocities at the hands of those who don’t know Him. He wants you to pray for leaders and those in authority that they would have wisdom in governing the people. Yet, most often, people complain about what they hear on the news instead of making it a matter of prayer. They expect someone else to pray and seek Yeshuwa’s face.

Yeshuwa didn’t call someone else to pray. He called you. When Nehemiah heard what took place in Jerusalem, he prayed when he heard the news. He didn’t wait for someone else to pray. He didn’t wait for someone else to call a prayer meeting to pray about the situation. He prayed. Yeshuwa calls you to pray every day for the situations facing Christians around the world, to pray for leaders and everyone in authority.

1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore, I exhort first that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and everyone in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and reverence.

 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of Theos our Soter, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 5 For there is one Theos and one Mediator between Theos and men, the Man Christos Iesous, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for everyone, to be testified in due time.

Yeshuwa never calls someone else, He calls you to pray, to seek His face, to humble yourself before Him, to grieve over the situations you hear and bring your petitions before Him on behalf of His people and the nations.

Let’s pray: Father, forgive me for expecting someone else to pray when I hear about the situations taking place around the world, situations regarding Your people who take Your gospel to the world, who put themselves on the front lines, for leaders of the nations for wisdom in government. Forgive me as I pray for those You tell me to pray for. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 9 March 2025 by Valerie Routhieaux