from Nehemiah 1: 5-7
Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
from Revelation
15:3-4
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Read again these two selected sections of
Scripture, making sure you are recognizing how awesome God is. Yes, there are some things to be noted which
will bring a contrast. Looking at them
from the standpoint of prayer, Nehemiah is obviously praying a prayer of
confession. He seeks God in a way of
admitting to things God already knows.
He readily acknowledges God as great and awesome, while expressing his
sin through terms like wickedness and disobedience.
The Revelation verses simply praise the
actions and justice of God, knowing these things bring glory to the Lord. He alone is holy. God's righteousness is always revealed,
bringing worship from all nations.
There are times when we need to pray a
prayer of confession. We, too, have
sinned against God and acted in ways which can be described only as
disobedience. If that type of prayer is
needed for your life, then seek God's direction and his love as you confess
your wrongdoing.
The power of the Revelation prayer is seen
from beginning to end. While we may be
confident in our salvation, we still have the need to pray prayers which
reflect God's greatness. Praise him for
his holiness. Give glory to him through
the life you lead.
As a little girl said her bedtime prayer, "God,
I'm not going to bug you by asking you for "things." You have given me so much already. I just want you to know this prayer is to say
"thanks" for all you do, and for all you are." Amen!
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