How do I approach this God who gives me my very breath? I also know that I have failed Him so often. I do not in any way deserve to be even in the same galaxy as Him. I want to draw near to Him, to be forgiven, restored and be used by him. This is why I love Nehemiah’s first recorded prayer so much. Here is a man who sees the vastness of His God and cries out forgive us O God and restore us. The awesome thing is knowing that God wants to answer this type of prayer.
Today I just want to deal with the first part of his prayer. Nehemiah before he asks for forgiveness and restoration of his people will show us who this God that we are praying to is like. How do you see God when you come before Him in prayer is of vital importance to how we pray.
Nehemiah 1:5 ( ESV )
5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
Nehemiah starts his prayer by keeping in his mind that God is His life. First of all, Nehemiah knew he was coming before the Lord God of heaven. We come before no mere man but the very God who sits enthroned in heaven. The one who sits on a throne surrounded by light, for He is the Light of the World. The one whom the angels cry out daily, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty.” He is the one who by just His very words hangs all the stars in place. He truly is the Great and Awesome God that we sing of.
This means a lot to me in that I realize as the old children’s song goes, “Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.” It sounds simplistic but the truth of that should bring us to our knees. He wants to provide for us as His children. He has the power to do anything and yet we come to Him often forgetting who He really is.
This God is not only a Holy God who made the heavens and the earth. He is also a God who will keep His promises that He has made towards us. How many promises have I made? How many promises have I broken? Nehemiah knew that flesh would fail him but the God of Heaven would always keep His word. Why do I struggle with that so much? He has never failed and never will fail to keep His promises made to His lambs. One of the reasons though that I believe that He keeps His promises is also found in the next part of the verse.
He is steadfast in His love. I am the unfaithful whore who will seek and run after so many pleasures that this world has to offer. I am the one who will seek to do my will rather than His. Often my love is not pure. His love though is steadfast. He is going to be with me for the long haul. He has promised me that He will never leave me or forsake me.
Note though what He says next; especially in a world that only wants a God who says do whatever you want. I believe that as His children He will never leave us or forsake us. I also though believe that our actions will affect our prayer life. He will keep His promises towards us but this does not mean that we can live anyway that we please.
God wants us to be a people who love Him. He does not want a superficial love of only words though. Please pay careful attention to what He also says how this love will be shown. Keep His Commandments. As children of God we need to be those who are marked by our obedience towards Him. This is not just an O.T. Commandment but is also found throughout the Apostle John’s writings. I don’t want to be a disobedient child to the One who made me, to the One who is great and awesome and to the One who has never broken His promises.
Sometimes, God does not answer our prayers. He will choose though, what to answer, and what not to answer. He will sometimes do this when you and I are walking disobediently to Him. (Peter will bring this up concerning how a husband treats his wife in I Peter 3:7.) Nehemiah knew this and he wanted a clean heart before His God. Nehemiah also wanted the people of Israel to be restored. So he prays, “Forgive us O, God.”
Here is what I love so much. This God who made me wants to forgive me. He wants me to love Him and walk obediently with Him. He wants me to have fellowship and draw near to Him. He does want to restore us, and not make us what we used to be, but into something even better,
through the power of His Spirit.
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