“Praying with a Broken Heart” – a message from Nehemiah 1:5-11

This past weekend at Eastbrook, we continued our series from the book of Nehemiah entitled “Rebuild and Repair: Engaging the World with Nehemiah.” I preached the second message of this series entitled, “Praying with a Broken Heart,” which was based in Nehemiah’s prayer recorded in Nehemiah 1:5-11.

You can find the message outline and video below. You can access the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

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“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, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night.” (Nehemiah 1:5-6)

Beginning with the Greatness of God (Nehemiah 1:5-6a)

The greatness of God’s being

The greatness of God’s promises

Confessing Sin Before God (Nehemiah 1:6b-7)

The sin of self and community

The sin against God and God’s commands

Calling Upon the Faithfulness of God (Nehemiah 1:8-10)

Remembering the story of God and the promises of God

Praying Scripture 

Asking God to Act (Nehemiah 1:11)

Specific requests for action

Specific requests for favor with authorities

Waiting Upon God (Nehemiah 1:1-4; 2:1)

Giving time for prayer 

Four months of prayer 

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Dig Deeper

This week dig deeper in one or more of the following ways:

• Memorize Nehemiah 1:5-6
• Read through Nehemiah’s prayer (Nehemiah 1:5-11), and then either use it as a basis for your own prayers or write out your own Nehemiah prayer to God.
• Explore prayer in Scripture by watching or listening to sermons from the Eastbrook preaching series, “Great Prayers of the Bible”
• Consider reading a book on prayer this summer. Here are some possibilities:
  • Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home
  • Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life
  • Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray