06/06/2022 - WE HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU

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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.  Nehemiah 1:6

God has given us spiritual ears and eyes to understand His movement. He has that ability, but in a much better way, for He sees within us and knows our intent (Psalm 139:23). When you pray in the Name of Jesus, pray over the statements of the Word. The Lord knows what will come out of our mouths, even before we have decided what to say (Psalm 139:1- 4). Watch and pray!

Someone may wonder, “If the Most High knows our mind, we don’t have to say anything, right?” You see, even though we have formulated something to say, the decision to speak or to be silent belongs to us. We are not obliged to express what we think; thus, we do not bear the burden for what has not been said (Matthew 12:36). However, if we conceive a prayer and fail to say it, it will be like a miscarriage.

Nehemiah asked that God’s eyes and ears be open to hear his prayer. The reason was Judah and its people. He was aware of his words, but if he did not express his thought, nothing that was in it would be answered (Proverbs 10:31). Artaxerxes’ cupbearer was distressed and grieved by the misery of those who remained in Judah, especially Jerusalem. The city was still devastated since its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar’s forces. God would use His servant!

He cried out to the Most High day and night. Every prayer will be answered, but in some cases, the answer may come sometime later. Why is there this delay? Well, without faith, no one pleases the Almighty (Hebrews 11:6). The beloved cupbearer would intercede and never withdraw his petition, for he was willing to see the Lord act on behalf of the people of Judah.

At first, he reminds them that the children of Israel were God’s servants, so he needed a positive response. Otherwise, nothing would change their situation. In fact, simply praying for the sake of praying is a waste of time, but many people do this. These people are unaware of the Scriptures that deal with the rights of the servants of the Most High in Christ. There are those who “pray” all the time, and moreover, with no faith. Then, the Almighty will not answer their supplication.

Nehemiah began his outcry by reporting the sins of the children of Israel against God, and he was absolutely right in his statement. These people ignored Jeremiah’s prophecies because they were committed to the people who dominated the country. When there is sin in the one who prays, or for whom one prays, it will not be easy to get the solution, but if the error is confessed and abandoned, God will answer (Proverbs 28:13).

That servant of God confessed that all had sinned; including himself and his father’s house, and the Lord heard him!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares