RPG Adults
ELEMENTS OF CONGREGATIONAL SERVICE (VI)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
Nehemiah 9:4-38
1 Kings 8:46-53
“…hear thou their prayer
and their supplication
in heaven thy dwelling place…”
ELEMENTS OF CONGREGATIONAL SERVICE (VI)
The relation of prayer and ministry of the Word, as emphasised by the Apostles in Acts 6, is recorded in Nehemiah 9. Their focus on the Word led them to pray aright and acceptably. The content of their prayer clearly reflected their knowledge of God’s Word and God’s dealings from the time of the patriarchs, a knowledge that was drawn from Moses’ law. The content of their prayer reflects what true biblical prayer is like.
Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites… and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God (Neh 9:4). With the order of the worship of God as instituted in the Word maintained, the Levites led the worship service in a time of confessional and intercessory prayer. In their prayer, they began with acknowledging God in His divine attributes as the one and only living and true God, creator of the heavens and the earth, who upon finishing His work of creation, continues to uphold, sustain and direct His creation by His providence. As such, He is the only one worthy to be worshipped (Neh 9:6). They then went on to affirm God as the gracious and faithful covenant-keeping God who chose Abraham out of all nations to make of him a nation, giving him the land He had promised (Neh 9:7-8).
In these first two attributes, they affirmed their faith and knowledge of God not only as the Creator and Ruler of all things, but also as the personal, faithful and covenant-keeping and fulfilling God who not only chose, blessed and led Abraham, but also continued to extend His covenant faithfulness to Abraham’s seed. This theme
(i) is repeated in Old Testament prayers and can be found in Solomon’s Temple prayer (1 Kings 8:23), Jehoshaphat’s prayer (2 Chron 20:6-7), and in the Psalms (Ps 105:5-11),
(ii) was the basis of the instruction given to them at the renewal of the covenant before entering to possess the Land of Promise in Deuteronomy 29:1-13 and before possession of the land in Joshua 24:1-15, and
(iii) informs their boldness and confidence to approach God.
THOUGHT: Is Christ my everlasting delight?
PRAYER: (Use Psalm 36:9-10.)