Prayer and fasting pt4

Dear beloved: When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were down, he mourned, wept, prayed, and fasted. He prayed to God to show mercy on him and on the sons of Israel, for he knew that without God's mercy there would be no redemption and no restoration of the walls. Nehemiah 1:5-7 And I said,"I beseech Thee, O Lord God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments. v6 Let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes be open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am prying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee, I and my father's house have sinned. v7 We have acted corruptly against Thee and hve not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses. v11 O Lord, I beseech Thee, may Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant and the prayer of Thy servants who delight to revere Thy name, and make Thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man."

So Nehemiah positioned himself before the Lord, showing complete dependence on God's mercy and grace. If we are to have restoration of the walls that are down in our families we must do the same; we must humble ourselves before the Lord, confess our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, and plead for God to hear our prayers and show us lovingkindness. For who can restore but God alone, who is our refuge and our strenth but God alone, and who is our rock but God alone? Psalm 18:1-3 I love Thee Oh Lord, my strength. v2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. v3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:30-32 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. v31 For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock except our God, v32 The God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?

Beloved, we need massive intercession for our families, our churches, our nation. But our deliverance can only come from one source, the God who created us. We must turn to Him in complete submission and dependence, and acknowledge Him as our only hope, He will then give us the strength to engage in the battle. The battle is much to big for our human strength, but with the Lord on our side we will be victorious. When David prepared to take on Goliath he spoke to the giant that his confidence was in the Lord, 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Phillistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. v47, and that all the assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will deliver you into our hands." Beloved, as we go into battle today, as we pray for our families and nation today, let this be our battle cry, the battle belongs to the Lord! God bless you this day as you walk with Him, in Christ, Jim