HOW have you been blessed? God’s blessings include senses, like seeing, tasting, hearing, and feeling. They include the people He has brought into our lives, such as our family, friends, and neighbors. For most people God has provided a job or jobs. His blessings also include opportunities in life, like influencing others, being influenced, living where you live, and experiencing diversity. And of course God’s blessings even includes material things.

What’s the purpose of those blessings? WHY do you have the abilities, people, family, job, or influence you have? Yesterday I preached the answer from Psalm 67. HERE is the audio. Below are some notes to help grow your heart for the things God cares most about… THE NATIONS!

Psalm 67… God’s Heart for The Nations 

1 [May] God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 3 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity [justice] and guide [govern] the nations of the earth. 5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. 7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Psalm 67 shows us that God’s HEART, what He cares about, is to be known and praised and enjoyed and feared… EVERYWHERE, to ALL PEOPLES, to EVERY NATION! For us over here… for “them over there” (including every refugee!!!)… and for everyone in between! God’s HEART beats to BLESS the nations!

God’s Heart for the Nations is Rooted in His Character

Notice three characteristics of God’s character that drive His heart for the nations…

1. v. 1 He is a GRACIOUS God (chief characteristic of God)
2. v. 4b He is a JUST God (vital to those who suffer injustice)
3. v. 4c He is a SOVEREIGN God (He is in ultimate control)

Because the Lord God is GRACIOUS, JUST, and SOVEREIGN, He CARES deeply that all the nations, all the peoples of the world KNOW Him… and know Him for who He really is: GRACIOUS, JUST, and SOVEREIGN!

God Blesses His People to be a Blessing to Others

Every blessing we receive is meant to bless others. Blessings are certainly to be passed on to family, a neighbors, or co-workers, but definitely for the nations. This reminds us of the promise made to Abraham:

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)

God promises blessing to His people because He wants to make them a blessing. Therefore we should ask to be blessed for the sake of others. God’s blessings are NOT just for us to enjoy (although we should definitely enjoy them), they are to be shared. And God is pretty smart! He knows that our joy is most full when we are sharing blessings in the lives of other. Therefore, when we ask for God’s blessing for the sake of others we are also asking for our joy to be full.

God Will Bless us When we are Planning to be a Blessing.

If God blesses His people for the sake of the nations, then He is most likely to bless us when we are planning and longing and praying to be a blessing to others. If God wants His BLESSINGS to get to the nations, then He will “fill the truck” that’s driving toward the nations. He will bless the church that’s pouring itself out for the peoples of the world. 

OUR Part… PRAY for The Nation!

PRAY passionate, God-sized, prayers for blessing…

First, pray Psalm 67:1-2

God be gracious to us and bless us, make YOUR face shine on us—  so that Your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 

Second, pray specifically for 1-2 people/families you know who are from other nations… especially those who either don’t know God, or are not connected to a church family. Pray for God to BLESS them THROUGH you!

Third, pray for an opportunity to INVITE them into our community! (Sun service, Comm Group, Super Bowl gathering, for a meal, a drink, etc.) #ComeAndSee

Fourth, and finally, #ShareTheStory when God answers your prayers! Share with those around you, your Comm Group, on social media, with us here on Sundays. We are Good News people… let’s share the blessings!

Last week I posted this question on Facebook: “Learning to pray more and preaching on prayer this month. What have been the biggest influences on how you pray?” I received a number of comments, including some great book suggestions and even a movie suggestion! Here’s my favorite comment: “You can read books and see formulas but there is no substitute for just doing it!”

Yesterday I preached the second sermon in our series Pray: Growing a Heart for the Things God Cares Most About. This message was simply, “A Call to Pray.” HERE‘s the audio. Below are 5 the five keys to effective prayer via Nehemiah 1.

Nehemiah 1, A Call to Pray

Prayer is THE SECRET to Neh’s success! The prayer in chapter one is the first of 12 different prayers recorded in the book. Chapter one begins with prayer in Persia and chapter thirteen closes with prayer in Jerusalem. There are prayers of anguish, joy, protection, dependence and commitment.

Prayer gives Neh perspective; it widens his horizons, sharpens his vision and dwarfs his anxieties.
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When we pray our horizons will widen, our vision will sharpen, and our anxieties will be dwarfed!

The Five Keys to Pray Effectively

1. CONCERN About the Problem.

Even though Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem, he had heard stories about it, and knew that his ancestors had been led away in chains when Babylon destroyed it. He was doing what Jeremiah 51:50 instructed the exiles to do: “…Remember the Lord in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem.”

As Nehemiah thought on Jerusalem, he listened to the report in Nehemiah 1:3 that the survivors were in great trouble and disgrace, that the wall of Jerusalem was in shambles and that its gates had been burned with fire. As he tried to imagine the shame in the city of David, he could barely stand it. Nehemiah had deep concern for the problem.

The call to pray begins with CONCERN, but turns quickly to…

2. CONVICTION about God’s Character.

After Neh becomes concerned, he expresses his conviction of God’s character in Neh 1:5…

O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands.

Nehemiah’s boss, the king, was the greatest and mightiest on earth. But compared to God, Artaxerxes was nothing. Nehemiah’s concern was in far off Jerusalem. He was in the grand city of Susa. However, both cities – one rich, the other poor, one strong the other weak, one proud, the other broken – were like tiny specks of dust under the vast canopy of God’s heaven.

A CONVICTION of God’s CHARACTER in prayer gets things into their proper perspective.
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Nehemiah knew that God was not only able, but also willing to respond to his prayer. But he also knew that he did not deserve to have God treat him favorably. That’s why the next phase of his prayer is a confession of sin.

3. CONFESSION of sin.

Neh 1:6-7: “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 house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws you gave your servant Moses.”

It’s one thing to be concerned and to even have a firm conviction of who God is. It’s another thing to actually confess sin. Notice a few things about Neh’s confession…

• He was overwhelmed with the problem: Neh gave himself to pray for a long time, day and night.
• There were no excuses: Neh owned his guilt. “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself…we have acted very wickedly…we have not obeyed…” It would have been easy for Neh to look back and blame his ancestors but instead he looked within and blamed himself. It’s so easy for us to blame others, isn’t it? We need to learn from Nehemiah, no excuses, “Lord, I am wrong. I’m part of the problem.”

Thankfully Nehemiah moves from the low of confession, to the high of…

4. CONFIDENCE in God’s Promises.

While Neh spent time in broken confession, he didn’t wallow in his failures or those of his fellow Israelites. He owned his sin then quickly expresses confidence in God’s promises…

Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and mighty hand.

Nehemiah 1:8-10

Someone has calculated that there are over 7,000 promises in the Bible. The better we know the Word of God, the better we’ll be able to pray with confidence in God’s promises. One of my college profs famously says, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it!”

Growing a heart for things God cares most about takes time getting to know God’s promises and praying through them. But it takes more. Therefore, the call to pray is also a…

5. COMMITMENT to get involved.

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor (MERCY) in the presence of this man. I was cupbearer to the king.

Nehemiah 1:11

It has been said that prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven but getting God’s will done on earth. But God’s will is done on earth primarily through people who make themselves available for Him to use.

Nehemiah didn’t pray for God to send someone else – he simply said, “Here am I, send me!” He knew that he would have to approach the king and request a 3-year leave of absence and so asked God for “success.” 

The true measure of our concern is whether or not we are willing to make a commitment to get involved.

“Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.” ~Martin Luther
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CONCLUSION

There’s no better way to start 2017 than with a call to pray. Here’s a simple prayer outline I’ve been following for years. I hope it help!

1. Praise (conviction about God’s character)
2. Repent (confession of sin)
3. Ask (based on the concern about the problems)
4. Yield (confidence in God’s promise and commitment to get involved)

Begin where you are and take next steps to grow in prayer. 

1. Set aside a time to pray every day (have you tied the Abide app?)
2. Set aside a couple times to pray (morning, noon, night)
3. Pray and meditate on God’s word/promises 
4. Take extended time during a certain day(s) in the week

Yesterday we started a new series at Restoration Church, “Prayer: Growing a Heart for the Things God Cares Most About.” HERE is a link to my message, “Make Your Days Count in the New Year!” I hope it’s a help and blessing to you. Below are a few notes of application.

Psalm 90: A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God

At the heart of this Psalm is v. 12…

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Literally the last part of that verse is, “… that we might present a heart of wisdom.” How we live today and this year gives us a chance to present to God a heart of wisdom.

As a parent, there is nothing I want more for my kids than that they choose, follow, and seek wisdom. I want them to succeed in sports, get good grades, and have great success in life. But in the end what I really want and long for is that they choose wisdom.

What does God care most about for you in 2017? As a loving Father He longs for His children to walk in wisdom.

A Prayer for Wisdom

Moses gives us four specific aspects of wisdom to pray for in verses 13-17…

13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be?

Have compassion on your servants.

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children.

17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.

Four Requests

1. “God, comfort us in our afflictions, our guilt, our shame!”
2. “God, satisfy us as only You can!”
3. “God, make our hearts glad in You!”
4. “God, grant us your favor, for apart from you we can do nothing!”

CONCLUSION

Join me in seeking the things God cares most about this month. We start with prayer. I hope these four prayer requests will bless you and help you begin the new year soaking in wisdom!

QUESTION: What prayer would you add to help start the new year?