Continuing on with another prayer based on Nehemiah...(You can find the previous prayers here, here, here, here and here. You may also appreciate reading, "Do you see the trouble we are in? A call to prayer for revival," a post I put up on my other blog earlier this week.

Nehemiah 2:9  Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. (NKJV™)

Philippians 1:6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the book of Nehemiah we see opposition arising to God's good plan to have the Jerusalem walls rebuilt and the gates repaired.

For example...

In spite of all the opposition, the wall was finished. "It was done by our God" (Nehemiah 6:16).

Some of our greatest opposition also comes from within us, from a lack of zeal, a loss of vision, mental, emotional and physical weakness, weariness and doubt. May God strengthen those of us He is raising up so we might stay strong in the work He has called us to do, the work of intercession on behalf of His Church.

May we be ever-mindful of God's faithfulness to equip us so we might be strengthened with His might and stand strong in His grace so we might complete the work He has called us to do in spite of continuing opposition. His heavenly supplies for us to walk in the works He has ordained for us will never fail. Will our Lord Christ ever fail? No, never!

Let us look forward with faith to the day we can look back and testify to the praise of His glory, power and might: "It was done by our God!"

Father, Son and Spirit,

You put it in the heart of Nehemiah to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.
As soon as that word got out, opposition arose in the hearts of all who were opposed to You and the well-being of Your children.
Yes, we know our enemy the devil has always been opposed to You and Your servants, including Your Servant the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise You that You always equip all Your servants to complete the works You have ordained for them to walk in.
Even as we see opposition arising we can be sure Your work in and through us will be completed.
Praise You that Your good hand continues to be on us in spite of opposition.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
By faith we anticipate the day we can sing Your praises, "It was done by You, O God!"
Keep us faithful to obey the word You have put in our hearts.
We weren't looking to pray, but Your Spirit has captivated us to do so.
Be gracious to us, complete the work You have begun in and through us, O Lord!
Yes, we will work hard, but only as Your grace works in us.
May it be done by You, O God, all to Your glory alone!


You have put it in our hearts to seek the well-being of all who are Your children by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
As soon as that word gets out, opposition arises in the hearts of all who are opposed to You and the well-being of Your Church.
Yes, we know our enemy the devil has always been opposed to You and Your servants, including Your Servant the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise You that You always equip Your servants to complete the works You have ordained for them to walk in.
Even as we see opposition arising we can be sure Your work in and through us will be completed.
Praise You that Your good hand continues to be on us in spite of opposition.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
By faith we anticipate the day we can sing Your praises, "It was done by You, O God!"
Keep us faithful to obey the word You have put in our hearts.
We weren't looking to pray, but Your Spirit has captivated us to do so.
Be gracious to us, complete the work You have begun in and through us, O Lord!
Yes, we will work hard, but only as Your grace works in us.
May it be done by You, O God, all to Your glory alone!

You have put it in our hearts to seek the well-being of all who are Your children by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Your have put it in our hearts to seek Your face in prayer on behalf of the well-being of Your children, Your Church.
Yes, we know our enemy the devil has always been opposed to You and Your children, Your Church.
Strengthen us to labor fervently without ceasing in prayer at Your throne of grace for every moment is a time of need for Your Church.
Equip us to persevere in this hidden work of rebuilding Your Church on our knees in our closets.
Praise You that Your good hand continues to be on us in spite of opposition.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
By faith we anticipate the day we can sing Your praises, "It was done by You, O God!"
Keep us faithful to obey the word You have put in our hearts.
We weren't looking to pray, but Your Spirit has captivated us to do so.
Be gracious to us, complete the work You have begun in and through us, O Lord!
Yes, we will work hard, but only as Your grace works in us.
May it be done by You, O God, all to Your glory alone!

Your good hand was on Nehemiah to lead him to Jerusalem.
Your good hand continued to be on Nehemiah to finish the work of rebuilding of the walls and the gates.
Your good hand continued to be on Nehemiah and Your children in spite of the opposition.
Praise You that You always equip Your servants to complete the works You have ordained for them to walk in.
Even as we see opposition arising we can be sure Your hand will be on us and Your work in and through us will be completed.
Praise You that Your good hand continues to be on us in spite of opposition.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
By faith we anticipate the day we can sing Your praises, "It was done by You, O God!"
Keep us faithful to obey the word You have put in our hearts.
We weren't looking to pray, but Your Spirit has captivated us to do so.
Be gracious to us, complete the work You have begun in and through us, O Lord!
Yes, we will work hard, but only as Your grace works in us.
May it be done by You, O God, all to Your glory alone!

Your good hand was on us when You put it into our hearts to begin to intercede for Your children.
Your good hand continues to be on us now as we continue to pray to You to revive Your Church.
Your good hand continues to be on us now as we pray in spite of the opposition, both external and internal..
Praise You that You always equip Your servants to complete the works You have ordained for them to walk in.
Even as we see visible opposition arising keep our eyes fixed on You who are invisible and trust by faith Your good hand is on us even when we may not feel it is.
Praise You that Your good hand continues to be on us in spite of opposition.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
By faith we anticipate the day we can sing Your praises, "It was done by You, O God!"
Keep us faithful to obey the word You have put in our hearts.
We weren't looking to pray, but Your Spirit has captivated us to do so.
Be gracious to us, complete the work You have begun in and through us, O Lord!
Yes, we will work hard, but only as Your grace works in us.
May it be done by You, O God, all to Your glory alone!

Today's prayer includes a bit of a reflection on some of what led to the start of tent of meeting. If you have never done so, you may wish to read more of that story here (please see section II.- Prayer). (I would also encourage you to read more about tent of meeting here and here.)

I am praying our Lord would continue to keep all of us He has called to prayer steadfast, immovable, always abounding in His work knowing that our labor in Him is not in vain.

Seeking His face with great joy and assurance,
Karen

Nehemiah 2:9  Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10  But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah, the Ammonite servant, heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

11  So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12  Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13  I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14  Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15  Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16  And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

Holy Father,

A year ago today, You put it in my heart
Though You were already putting it on my heart
That day a year ago I heard Your voice through Your Word

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you...I Samuel 12:23

You put a desire to pray in my heart
You put a desire to pray for Your people in my heart
A year ago today, You put it in my heart
I am trusting You to keep it in my heart
You who began this good work in my heart will complete it
To Your glory alone

Just when I forget or lose heart
Your grace flows down from on high
Your fire descends
To light the cooling coals
Your Spirit thunders
To shake lukewarm complacency
Your Word speaks
To awaken dormant passion

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray...

A year ago today, You put it in my heart
You alone can keep it in my heart
Lord God, keep in my heart what You have put in my heart
I can't even keep my own heart apart from Your grace

You put a desire to pray in my heart
You put a desire to pray for Your people in my heart
A year ago today, You put it in my heart
I am trusting You to keep it in my heart
You who began this good work in my heart will complete it
To Your glory alone

Holy Father,

You have put a desire to pray in others' hearts
You have put a desire to pray for Your people in their hearts
You have put it in their hearts like You put it in my heart
I am trusting You to keep it in our hearts
You who have begun this good work in our hearts will complete it
To Your glory alone

Just when we forget or lose heart
Grace, flow down from on high
Holy Fire, descend
Light our cooling coals
Holy Spirit, thunder
Shake our lukewarm complacency
Holy Word, speak
Awaken our dormant passion

Moreover, as for us, far be it from us that we should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray...

You put it in our hearts
You alone can keep it in our hearts
Lord God, keep in our hearts what You have put in our hearts
We can't even keep our own hearts apart from Your grace
You who began this good work in our hearts will complete it
To Your glory alone

You put a desire to pray in our hearts.
You put a desire to pray for Your people in our hearts.
You put it in all our hearts.
I am trusting You to keep it in our heart.
You who began this good work in our hearts will complete it
To Your glory alone

Moreover, as for us, far be it from us that we should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray...

Holy Father,

You put a desire to pray in our hearts
You put a desire to pray for Your people in our hearts
You put it in all our hearts
Now I am trusting You to put that desire in more hearts
Send forth more intercessors to join us to pray for the harvest
Complete the work You have begun here on earth
That Your Gospel would be proclaimed to all nations
To Your glory alone

Moreover, as for us, far be it from us that we should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for laborers...

I've been posting some reflections on prayer, and most recently I've posted some prayers based on Nehemiah (please see here, here and here and here), Today's prayer is from Nehemiah 2, but it is a little different from the most recent prayers.

Nehemiah 2:9  Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10  But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah, the Ammonite servant, heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

11  So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12  Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13  I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14  Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15  Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16  And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

17  Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18  And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19  But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20  Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”


Dear Father,

We see when Your servant Nehemiah was sent to lead Your people in the work of rebuilding the wall at Jerusalem, he met with opposition. We confess that sometimes  we are surprised or dismayed or discouraged when we meet with opposition. Yet we should not be surprised, dismayed or discouraged. Anyone who is sent to seek the welfare of Your people, of Your Church, is sure to meet with opposition. Satan, Your enemy, is our enemy because we are Your chosen people. Our Lord Jesus continued to be opposed. He was sent to be the Savior of the world, He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet even then we know all the opposition and rejection that He met was all under Your sovereign hand, all of it was according to Your sovereign will in fulfillment of prophecy and Your ordained plan for our Savior. Jesus warned us that as He was treated so we would be also. Help us not to fear or be dismayed, but to remember Your plan can never be thwarted, no matter how great the opposition we might meet. Help us to be assured that You are our Helper no matter the circumstance. Nothing is too hard for You. Your have promised Your Holy Spirit would abide with us forever and all authority and power is Yours. The devil is already a defeated foe.

As You call us to the work of rebuilding, we trust that You, O God of heaven, are sufficient, that You will make us prosper, and You will equip us with all we need through Your Holy Spirit so we might arise and build. May we patient and wise. Guard us and protect us so we do not make wrongful alliances with or concessions as we work for You for Your the sake of Your Name and for Your glory.

We need to have discerning ears and eyes as we meet with many people in this world. Many may despise us outwardly but there are times that Your enemies may come in disguise, like angels of light, like wolves in sheep's clothing. Help us to gentle as doves yet wise as serpents as we deal with people. May we be discerning and never yoke ourselves to others You are not calling to come alongside us.

As You call us to the work of rebuilding, we trust that You, O God of heaven, are sufficient, that You will make us prosper, and You will equip us with all we need through Your Holy Spirit so we might arise and build. May we patient and wise. Guard us and protect us so we do not make wrongful alliances with or concessions as we work for You for Your the sake of Your Name and for Your glory.

Help us to be discerning and obedient to the call You have put into our hearts to do for You and for Your people. Help us to remain steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work for then our labor in You will not be in vain. There are times we must go out at night like Nehemiah did, to survey the walls, and there are times we must be silent about the work You are doing in us and what You are putting on our hearts. Help us to be faithful to work even when You are the only Friend we have, the only Friend in Whom we can confide in. There are those times of preparation, of plowing the soil or surveying the walls or going into our closets or to fast or to study undisturbed. Help us to know Your will for us and to walk in it. To persevere in those works You have called us to which are so vital, but not necessarily to undergirding the future work You have for us to do. Help us to persevere with joy no matter the place or the work You have for us. Be it alone on our knees or in front of a crowd. If we are obedient to You, we know Your yoke will be easy and Your burden light, no matter what the service.

As You call us to the work of rebuilding, we trust that You, O God of heaven, are sufficient, that You will make us prosper, and You will equip us with all we need through Your Holy Spirit so we might arise and build. May we patient and wise. Guard us and protect us so we do not make wrongful alliances with or concessions as we work for You for Your the sake of Your Name and for Your glory.

Help us to wait on You for each step of the journey You have for us. So often we would not take that time like Nehemiah to survey the ruins alone and quietly at night. We would want to get right to it. But then as we see Nehemiah speak of what You had put on His heart in Your timing, that timing was perfect, for we hear the people acclaim, "Let us rise up and build" and then begin to make the preparations to do so. We can see how You were preparing their hearts to hear Nehemiah's message at just that time. Help us not to question Your timing. Help us to wait on You and trust You when You tell us to be silent, or to go away and pray more or to wait a little longer. We will never be ashamed as we wait on You. Help us not to seek the action, but to seek You and Your face first and foremost. We want to be in the middle of the battle, we want to be doing, but any work You call us to is vital and it is all battle, it is all action to further Your Kingdom and Your Gospel. May we trust that wherever You have us is a strategic place. May we trust that You are only waiting so Your Name might be highly exalted as You always choose to act in the way that will maximize Your glory. May we look forward to Your hallowing Your Name in Your time.

As You call us to the work of rebuilding, we trust that You, O God of heaven, are sufficient, that You will make us prosper, and You will equip us with all we need through Your Holy Spirit so we might arise and build. May we patient and wise. Guard us and protect us so we do not make wrongful alliances with or concessions as we work for You for Your the sake of Your Name and for Your glory.