Strength in Prayer

The strength of a believer is always related to his faith in God. Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Unfortunately, I don’t always believe that.

In fact, it seems that I often believe just the opposite. I stubbornly insist that there must be something good I can do apart from Jesus. I’m always looking for some redeeming quality within myself, some characteristic for which God might love me—because it seems that I’m incurably self-righteous. “That’s all right, Lord, I’ll do this one. You don’t have to help me this time.” Then when I totally fail, Jesus reminds me, “Without me ye can do nothing.”

I have proven the truth of that statement over and over in my life. Apart from Christ I can do nothing. I am really weak and helpless.

On the other hand, I’ve discovered another beautiful truth, one that Paul also discovered. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Apart from Him I’m totally helpless and have no strength. Through Christ I have strength to meet any situation and to overcome any difficulty. In myself I am weak, but in Him I am strong.

Some people are strong within themselves. They trust in their own abilities and then gloat in their independence and strength. However, no matter how strong a person thinks he may be, there will come a day when he exhausts his own resources and finally confesses, “I can’t do it! I can’t go on!”

When the man who has learned to trust only in himself comes to that day of reckoning, it is a tragic and disastrous day. But for the man who has learned to trust in the Lord, that day is no different than any other, because he has learned to turn every day over to God. The man who is self-reliant, self-willed, and self-made will ultimately fall. But the man who has learned to trust in the Lord for his strength will never fall. As long as I am looking to myself and my own resources, I will always be restricted by my human limitations. But if I trust in God and in His resources, then I have His infinite capacities available to me.

I can never face a situation which is too big for God and me to handle. There is no obstacle so great that God and I can’t overcome. There is no enemy too strong for God and I to defeat. God and I make a majority in any crowd! If God be for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31). Learn to turn to God for your resources and your strength. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul is speaking of his infirmities or weaknesses. He speaks of glorying in his weaknesses that the power of Christ might rest upon him. He said that he actually took pleasure in his weaknesses, for when he was weak then he was strong. My greatest area of weakness is where I feel strongest in my flesh and in no need of the Lord’s help. Conversely, my greatest area of strength is where I know that I am weak and cannot make it without the Lord’s help.

God is our source of strength. Prayer is the channel through which God gives His strength.

Prayer in Action

Nehemiah was a man of the Word and prayer. When Hanani and the other travelers returned from Jerusalem, Nehemiah questioned them about his beloved city. Hanani told him of the bad state of affairs in Jerusalem. “The walls are broken down. The people are demoralized. They’re barely existing. They’re an easy prey to all of their enemies. They have no defenses. The city is in shambles!”

When Nehemiah heard the condition of Jerusalem, God’s holy city, he wept before the Lord. Then Nehemiah fasted, prayed, and confessed to God his sins and the sins of the people. He also acknowledged the righteousness of God’s judgment against Jerusalem. Notice how he used the Word of God in his prayer. He said, “Lord, You said by the mouth of Moses that if we turn from You, You would turn Your back upon us and make us afraid of our enemies, and we would be scattered into the world. But, Lord, You also said that if we would turn back to You and seek Your face and call upon You, You would hear us and restore and rebuild the land” (Nehemiah 1:1–11).

The burden on Nehemiah’s heart was to restore and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. The Bible shows us how God opened the doors for Nehemiah’s prayer to be answered.

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king of Persia in Shushan. This prestigious position brought him into daily contact with the king. One day as he bore the cup to the king, the king asked, “Nehemiah, why are you looking so sad today? I’ve never seen you so glum.”

Nehemiah replied, “I’ve just received the report concerning Jerusalem. It is devastated and the people are demoralized. How can I be happy when the city I love is so desolate?”

The king said, “What would you like me to do?”

Nehemiah tells us, “I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king…” When the king said, “What can I do for you?” Nehemiah prayed, “Quick, God, help! What do I say?” (Nehemiah 2:1–4).

Nehemiah prayed first and then acted. That is the correct order: pray, then act. If we always prayed before we acted, needless to say, we would act differently in many cases. We wouldn’t be so apt to act rashly or inappropriately. The Bible promises, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). Prayer was such an important part of Nehemiah’s life that it was simultaneous with his actions.

Nehemiah’s response to the king’s question was to ask for permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The king granted Nehemiah’s request, and sent him to Jerusalem with a company of men.

As Nehemiah and his men were rebuilding the wall, their enemies gathered around them and tried to defeat the Israelites by ridiculing them and mocking the construction of the wall. Many times Satan uses ridicule to discourage you in the work of God. He says, “Who do you think you are? Billy Graham? Are you out to save the world?” Ridicule is one of the main tools the enemy uses to thwart your efforts for God. And it’s a powerful tool. None of us like to be ridiculed. Too often that device actually stops a person’s ministry for God.

But Nehemiah did the right thing. Instead of battling the enemy himself and answering the mockery, he prayed, “Lord, You’ve heard them. Take care of them. Wipe them out. Lead them into captivity” (Nehemiah 4:1–5). Don’t respond to ridicule by striking back. It’s much better to commit it to the Lord and let Him be your defense. You’ll surely be strong in Him.

When the enemy realized that they couldn’t discourage the rebuilding of the wall through ridicule, they planned to attack and tear it down at night. Nehemiah heard of the conspiracy and replied. “We made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night” (Nehemiah 4:9).

This brings out an important point. Prayer should never be an excuse for idleness or foolhardy action. God has given you good common sense and He expects you to use it. If you’re being threatened by an enemy, pray first—but then take what defensive measures are necessary. Action following prayer is not a lack of faith.

Be practical. If you ask God to heal your poor eyesight, don’t throw away your eyeglasses before the optometrist has a chance to retest you and says that you’ve been healed. Prayer shouldn’t lead you into reckless or careless actions. It should actually create a diligence within you. In fact, prayer will lead you into activity more often than it will lead you into inactivity. Pray first, then take action.

Some people are very lazy and think that God is going to do all the work for them. You question them about something and they use the excuse, “I’m just leaving that in the hands of the Lord.” No, the Lord expects you to act, too!

For instance, if you need a job, you don’t just sit at home and wait for someone to call. You ask God to give you one. Then go out and submit applications every place you can. Then trust that the Lord will open the door to the job He wants you to have. Don’t just sit there and say, “Okay, Lord, bring me the job.” You don’t say that when you have to eat. You don’t lie in bed and say, “If you want me to eat today, Lord, just drop the food in my mouth.” You’re not passive about that, and you shouldn’t be passive about the other areas of your life.

“So we prayed unto God,” Nehemiah said, “and we set a watch against the enemy.” The Israelites built the wall with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. The enemy saw that they were armed and prepared, so he didn’t attack; instead, he planned new ways for Jerusalem’s destruction.

Nehemiah, knowing the enemy was trying to weaken him and the hands of his men, prayed, “God, strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9). Nehemiah, a man of prayer, was a man of action and of strength as a result.

Man of Prayer

What constitutes a man of prayer? First, he prays about everything—little things as well as big things. Oftentimes, we’re reluctant to pray about the little things because we’re afraid to bother God with trivia. He’s so busy running the universe that He doesn’t need to help me in the small areas of my life. But Jesus said that our heavenly Father is conscious of the sparrow falling to the ground. How much more is He conscious of our every need? (Luke 12:6–7).

The Bible also commands, “In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6). If you really love someone, it doesn’t matter how often he calls or what he calls about, you’re just glad to hear from him. God loves you so much, He doesn’t care how trivial your need might be. He just loves to hear from you.

Jesus said, “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Why then are so many people losing heart and never praying? I hear people say, “I don’t know what I’m going to do! I don’t know where to turn.” They’re fainting. Learn of God’s grace through prayer. Learn to turn every situation over to God so your life might be strengthened by His hand upon you.

As a result of Nehemiah’s close fellowship with God, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt in fifty-two days. Others had tried to rebuild those same walls for almost a hundred years! Not only that, there was a spiritual revival among the people. While doing the physical work of God, Nehemiah and his men also did a spiritual work. The Israelites became so excited that their walls were rebuilt and they could again dwell securely in Jerusalem that they gathered together to worship the Lord. In the temple, Ezra the scribe brought out the law of God and read it to the people. It was accompanied by repentance and weeping before God. The hearts of the people were turned back to the Lord (Nehemiah 8–9).

One man living in prayer and fellowship with God can accomplish incredible results!

As I look around today, I see that we’re living in a needy world. We need people who live in fellowship with God, who know the strength of God, and who are willing to pray for God’s work to be done. Why not be that man of prayer for the sake of this poor, lost world, nation, city, school, or perhaps even your own family.