Do I Pray? Will I Pray?

Do I pray? Do I seek God? Do I put Him first and seek His face?

When life goes right and I see God at work and I feel his blessed, do I fall on my knees praising and thanking God? When life goes wrong, when I see disobedience and idolatry, when faced with trials and temptations — do I fall on my knees and weep and mourn and pray and fast?

When Hanani, one of Nehemiah’s brothers, came to him and told him about the trouble and shame in Jerusalem with the wall broken down and the gates destroyed by fire how did he react? The city was broken, but more importantly, the people and their relationship with God was broken. Nehemiah’s first response was to sit down and weep and mourn and fast and pray. In fact, he invested more days in prayer than in rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem.

In Nehemiah chapter 1 verses 4 – 11 (ESV) we hear his prayer:

4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And 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, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Do I fall on my knees and pray when our country, leaders, friends, family, and even self fail and put idols above God? Do I even react at all when I see the shameful disobedient state of affairs and faith in America? Do I see the killing of unborn babies as brutal, sinful, and equal to the murderous worship of Molech that God so hated? Do I feel shame over our sinful state? What will I do?

Do I love God and people enough to pray? Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 – 20 tell us this is a spiritual battle God and His heavenly host are ready to fight for us and we’d better be ready to put on His armor so God can protect us from Satan and his minions.

Will I fall before God and weep and mourn and pray and fast? Do I see the shame and damage sin and idolatry cause? Do I care about God in my life and my land?