In Lamentations 5 we read Jeremiah's prayer for mercy for his people. At a time of grief, the true believer should turn to God in prayer. Go and read the whole chapter, I insert Lam 5:22 (NKJV) as the key text in this chapter: "Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old" The NLT reads: "
Restore us, O LORD, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!"
In Isaiah 63:15 - 64:12 we read a prayer of remorse where Isaiah pray on behalf of a faithful remnant. He asks God for two things: (1) To show mercy and compassion to them and (2) to punish their enemies. Before Isaiah prayed this prayer he reminded God of His compassion in earlier days (Is 63:7-14).
The text that stand out to me today is in Isaiah 63:16 and 17b (NLT) "16 Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, LORD, you would still be our Father. You are our Redeemer from ages past. 17...Return and help us, for we are your servants, the tribes that are your special possession."
Nehemia enquired about the Jews who went back to Jerusalem with Ezra and when he learnt that they were in distress and the walls of Jersusalem were broken in many areas he fasted and prayed to the God of heaven.
Neh 1: 5- 11 (NKJV) "5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
God answered Nehemia's prayer and granted him favor with the King so that he was allowed to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city.
When Ezra and the Israelites returned to Jerusalem from captivity they camped at the river Ahava before they went back into Jerusalem and fasted an prayed for God's protection upon their return to the city.
We read about this in Ezra 8. I share with you today Ezra 8:21 -23 (NKJV) "21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer."
In 2 Kings 19 and Isaiah 37 we read about King Hezekiah's prayer when Sennacherib the King of Assyria came up against the Israelites and against God.
"15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”
The outcome of his prayer was that God delivered Israel and destroyed their enemies.
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