Nehemiah 9

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God. Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God. And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: "Stand up and bless the LORD your God Forever and ever! "Blessed be Your glorious name, Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!

(Neh 9:1-5)

Talk about a serious church service… 6 hours studying God’s Word, 6 hours worshipping… no break for a snack, they were FASTING! By today’s standards this seems extreme… but the circumstances these people were facing were extreme. In parts of the world today, these kinds of “church services” still go on; I’ve heard stories from some of the pastors I know about being in India and teaching for 4 or 5 hours without stopping, and the people being disappointed when they do stop! When we are aware of just how much we need the Lord, we are much more likely to crave this kind of time with one another. In fact, it seems like the early church was getting together in one way or another EVERY NIGHT! Praying, fellowshipping, remembering Christ, sharing the word… they KNEW they needed the Lord and one another because that was literally ALL THEY HAD.

As this 12 hour worship service is winding down and coming to a close, a tremendous prayer is offered… go back and read the chapter again, and you will see that in the prayer the people are REHEARSING THEIR HISTORY, seemingly REMINDING GOD OF ALL THAT HAPPENED. Here is the question, DOES GOD NEED REMINDING? I think the obvious answer is NO, HE KNOWS ALL THINGS. So, is it right to “remind” God of the past in prayer, and if it is, what is the point? Before I answer, I want you to give this some thought and try and answer the question yourself…

Have you thought about it? Do you have an answer? If you do, go ahead and read on…

“Rehearsing the past” in our prayers is a GOOD thing. There is nothing wrong with “reminding God”. It is a practice we see time and time again in the scriptures… the question is, what is the point? The point is that it places our faith back in Christ where it belongs, and it makes it SURE and STEADFAST. Prayer doesn’t change God’s mind, but it does move His hand. We don’t MAKE God do things when we pray, but we open up our hearts and lives so He CAN do things. Prayer does change things, and one of the primary things it changes is US. It allows God to have access to our hearts, to move freely in our lives, and to provide vision for our future. What has God done in your past? Next time you find yourself facing challenging circumstances, spend some time praying, and rehearse with God the great things He has done IN YOUR LIFE… and don’t be SHOCKED if you rise from your knees to your feet a changed person!