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Prayer and Fasting They Committed Them to the Lord

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Prayer and Fasting They Committed Them to the Lord ESSENTIALS FOR REBUILDING YOUR LIFE 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord,… 2 Chronicles 36:18-19 And the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 2 Chronicles 36:18-19 19And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and… 2 Chronicles 36:18-19 burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 2 Chronicles 36:18-19 22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled,… 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put in writing. 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.” 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 God is not limited to working with His people. He works in the hearts and minds of un- believers as well as believers, to accomplish His purpose. GROUP A: 539 B.C. Zerubbabel Rebuild Temple GROUP B: 458 B.C. Ezra Restore Worship GROUP C: 446 B.C. Nehemiah Rebuild Wall Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, Nehemiah 1:1-3 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived Nehemiah 1:1-3 exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the Nehemiah 1:1-3 exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” Nehemiah 1:1-3 STEP #1 MOURNING 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.Nehemiah 1:4 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.Nehemiah 1:4 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Genesis 23:2 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. Genesis 37:34 10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentationGenesis 50:10 8 And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for MosesDeuteronomy were 34:8 ended. …Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitterEsther 4:1 cry. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 Two Lessons: • Mourning is Long • Mourning is Loud Matthew 5:4 STEP #2 FASTING 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.Nehemiah 1:4 FASTING IS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY PRAYER ...She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. Luke 2:37 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord... Acts 14:23 FASTING IS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY AN ATTITUDE OF HUMILITY 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey… Ezra 8:21 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father…” Matthew 6:1 FASTING FOCUSES OUR ATTENTION ON GOD 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; … 1 Corinthians 7:5 but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5 STEP #3 PRAYER PRAYER THAT RECOGNIZES WHO GOD IS 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 … Nehemiah 1:5 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 … Nehemiah 1:5 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… Nehemiah 1:6a PRAYER THAT RECOGNIZES WHO HE IS 6…for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Nehemiah 1:6b 6…Even I and my father’s house have sinned… Nehemiah 1:6c 7We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded… Nehemiah 1:7 PRAYER THAT RECALLS THE PROMISES OF GOD 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, Nehemiah 1:8-9 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 Nehemiah 1:8-9 gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ Nehemiah 1:8-9 PRAYER THAT REQUESTS HELP FROM GOD 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… Nehemiah 1:11 give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Nehemiah 1:11 give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Nehemiah 1:11 …You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. James 4:2b-3 1. Recognize who God is, and believe it. 2. Recognize who you are, and confess it. 3. Recall the promises of God, and claim it. 4. Request specifically, but not selfishly. INITIAL STEPS • MOURN • FAST • PRAY TAKING IT HOME: 1. Stop & Take Time to Mourn. Write it down & express it to God TAKING IT HOME: 2. Determine a time for fasting to intentionally focus your heart on God. TAKING IT HOME: 3. Pray using Nehemiah’s pattern of prayer. • Recognize who God is, and believe it. • Recognize who you are, and confess it. • Recall the promises of God, and claim it. • Request specifically, but not selfishly..
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