Biblical Evangelism

Part 5 - Prayers that move the heart of God

Now it is time to look at some of the prayers recorded in scripture that have moved the heart of God. Firstly we shall look at the prayers of Daniel in chapters 9 and 10 and Nehemiah chapter 1 verses 6 to 10 inclusive. Though Daniel prayed the same type of prayer as Nehemiah translations of the prayer of Nehemiah are much easier to understand.

Nehemiah's prayer was as follows: "Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant, who prays before you now, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, that we have sinned against you: both I and my father's house have sinned.

We have behaved very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, or the statutes, or the judgments, that you commanded your servant Moses to obey. Remember, I beseech you, the word that you gave your servant Moses, saying, If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations.

But if you turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though you were cast out unto the uttermost part of the world, yet I will gather you from there, and will bring you back unto the place that I have chosen to set my name. Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand."

Do you understand what these two great men of God were praying? Basically they were both confessing their own sin, the sin of the nation that they lived in and the sin of their forefathers. Individually nobody but God knows your sin better than you do yourself, and if you walk around the town or city where you are living it will not be difficult to realise what sins need to be confessed on behalf of the people today.

You may wonder what you should be looking for in order to establish which sins need to be confessed before God on behalf of your city or town. The answer is very simple thanks to the writings of Paul who writes in Galatians chapter 5 verses 19 to 21 inclusive that the works of darkness are obvious, and then gives us a list as a guide.

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelling and such like: of which I told you before, they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Surely in every city or town of the world today it will be easy to walk round and identify people and places that fall under one or more of these categories. Idolatry is simply having a greater regard for something you possess or do than you have for God. This could be a hobby, a material object, alcohol or sex – either watching on film or illegally participating in it.

Not only are these things sinful but they can be addictive and take over your life so slowly that you will not realise that it is happening. Psalm 66 verse 18 reads as follows: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

Therefore if you are doing something and intend to continue that something which is offensive to God whether that is holding back forgiveness to someone or doing some sinful act then your prayer will not be effective in the ears of God.

God loves everyone and wants everyone to come to salvation in and through Christ Jesus, therefore we know that if we intercede for the lost by crying out to God to forgive their iniquity and open their eyes to hear and respond to the gospel then we know – especially if two or three pray this prayer together – that at some time in the future whether that be near or far off what you have asked will be granted if you have prayed in faith believing that at the appointed time what you have asked will come to pass.

Both Daniel and Nehemiah saw their prayers answered because it was not just once that they prayed those things, nor was it once a month or even once a week, but it was every day that they brought these prayers before God and did not cease to do so until their prayers had been answered.

The enemy will try anything that he is allowed to in order to discourage you and make you give up praying in unbelief, but Daniel was told that his prayer had already been granted in heaven but the manifestation of it was being contested by demonic forces. It was only as he kept praying in faith and continuously that the battle was one. Had he given up out of discouragement the spiritual battle would have been lost.

Praying in faith is praying something that you know to be in the will of God and continuing to believe that what you have asked for will be granted in time because you are praying in the will of God. James wrote something about the prayer of faith in one of his letters to the churches of his day.

James chapter 1 verses 6 to 8 inclusive read as follows: "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he who wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

Do not forget though, that faith comes through hearing, not wishful thinking. Jesus was able to do the miracles that He did because He would not do anything unless He was directed so to do by The Father.

If God lays this kind of prayer on your heart then of course you should pray it, but if you do not know what or how to pray then take the advice that Paul gave to the church in Rome in Romans chapter 8 and verse 26 which reads as follows: "Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered."

What God looks for above everything else, even our ability to pray is character, integrity and sincerity, He does not listen to half-hearted prayers that are very good at putting things into words but very bad at believing and practicing in their hearts what they say they believe. Also it is not a question of the length of a prayer being the most effective but the quality and sincerity of the prayer that counts. Remember psalm 66 v 18 states that if we have sin in our hearts (wrong doing or unforgiveness) then The Lord will not have regard for our prayer.

Matthew chapter 5 verses 21 to 24 we read as follows: "You have heard that it was said by those of old times, you must not kill; and whoever does kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever shall say to his brother, raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whoever shall say, you fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift at the altar and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

Although there is a danger of this particular thing being repeated to almost over-emphases in these studies, scripture itself mentions this point several times and therefore obviously regards it as something very important, therefore since scripture regards it as important enough to be mentioned several times so must we.

read part 6...