Prayer and fasting pt3

Dear beloved: As we think about praying and fasting for our families and our nation, let us consider the situation of Nehemiah when he heard the news of the condition of Jerusalem from his position as the king's cupbearer in Susa. Nehemiah 1:3 And they (Hanani) said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire. v4 Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

The burden of the breakdown of the walls of Jerusalem caused the spirit inside of Nehemiah to weep and mourn, and eventually to fast and pray. He was exceedingly grieved and moved to do the only thing he could do from so far away; fast and pray. Beloved, when was the last time you were genuinely greived over the situation of the breakdown of your family and the moral decay of this nation? Many times we are far from our children, far from our elected leaders, far from even our church leaders and don't feel like we can effect any change in the direction any of them are going, let alone change the direction we ourselves are going. What are we to do? There is only one thing we can do initially, and that is fast and pray. Isaiah 58:6 Is this not the fast that I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke? v7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your ownn flesh? v8 Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth, and your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Nehemiah fasted because the walls were down. The walls are down in our nation and families also, the enemy, the devil, is prowling around our families seeking whom he may devour. On the national scale the enemies of our nation are plotting death and destruction, they smell blood and are circling close for the kill. Terror cells inhabit every major city, even worse our economy is weak and our moral character even weaker. Beloved, cy out for this nation with prayer and fasting, let us together move the hand of God, let us together begin to rebuild the walls that are broken down. Isaiah 58:12 And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. Together we can rebuild the walls, one brick at a time, we can take back the streets, the neighborhoods, the nation, our familes. You may think you are alone, but the Lord told Elijah when he felt he was up against the wall all by himself, 1 Kings 19:18, Yet I will leave 7.000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him. So too, we are not alone, there is a remnant that cares, that has not bowed their knees to Baal. Beloved, prepare to take you place along the wall and begin to repair the breach. God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim