Big Prayer; Bold Action
Words of Faith 6-3-26
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2026
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Nehemiah 1
[5] Then I said:"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, [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 house, 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. [8]"Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, [9] 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.'[10]"They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. [11] 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 in the presence of this man."

How do you pray when faced by a need that is huge? Nehemiah faced an overwhelming need. The grief was great, and the task was huge. Where do you start? He started with a prayer that gives us a model when there is "trouble and disgrace" that is bigger than anything we might attempt to do or change.

Nehemiah started in AWE. "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.” If we are going to pray a big prayer, we must begin in awe before God. If we are not in awe, we are not yet before the God of heaven who keeps His covenant of love.

The great things of God always start in awe. Awe is actually more about relationships, attitudes, and responses than it is about words. In the early church, just after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the people were all together in awe… and then many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles (Acts 2:43).Awe preceded the manifestation of God, not the other way around. When there is a great big problem, take some time to be in awe.

Nehemiah CONFESSED. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. When we come into the awesome presence of God, we confess. Confession is not something that we have to work up; it is the natural response before a holy God. When Isaiah was given a vision of the Lord and taken into His presence, he confessed— "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty" (Isaiah 6:5).The holiness of God reveals our unholiness before Him and causes a spontaneous response of confession of our sinful state. We can do nothing else. We are suddenly revealed and exposed. Nothing is hidden. We are grieved by our own sin and the sin of our people.

Nehemiah acknowledged CORPORATE SIN. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws you gave your servant Moses. Nehemiah suddenly realized he could not blame any other group for the terrible decay and neglect in Jerusalem. If we are ever to see change, revival, healing, and wholeness, we must see our part in the problem. We must humble ourselves, stop making excuses, stop blaming others, and simply confess that our sin has contributed to the "trouble and disgrace" that has eroded our lives.

Nehemiah claimed the PROMISE of God. Nehemiah reminded God of His own covenant to care for Israel— "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.'

When we claim the promise of God, it is not because He has forgotten. We confess and claim the promise of God so that He hears that we have not forgotten.

Nehemiah was LED BY GOD to approach the King for help. This had not yet been mentioned, but during the prayer and in the time of fasting, seeking and searching, Nehemiah was led to action..."Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." When we pray a big prayer, God will guide and lead us to put feet on those earnest prayers. God will make a way for us to move and inspire us to bold action.

Bold action that is not bathed in prayer, no matter how well-intended, is sheer folly. Bold action that arises out of prayer is unstoppable.

Lord, I am in awe of You and Your majesty. I confess that I am utterly in need of Your grace. I confess that my sin has contributed to the trouble and disgrace I see in the world around me. But You are the God who gathers Your people to Yourself. I lift to You the places in my life that are "troubled and disgraced," asking that You gather the broken pieces to Yourself—and minister healing. Lead me, O God, into bold action. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.