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We’re looking for better methods, machinery, and motivations, which are all okay, but God is looking for people to use. He is looking for leaders. And for God to use the leaders, they must be men and women of God. We have a sample of a leader’s prayer in the book of Nehemiah. You can learn a lot about people by the kinds of prayers they pray. Remember that Nehemiah, when he first heard about the downfall of Jerusalem, prayed for four months before taking action. This is not just a casual prayer. The prayer we’re going to look at this week is just a sample prayer he prayed. It gives us a pattern for successful praying. If you want to know how to pray as a leader, study the book of Nehemiah, and particularly examine the prayer Nehemiah prays in the first chapter. Here are four secrets to answered prayer from the life of Nehemiah.

Base your requests on God's character.

Pray like you know God will answer you . . . I’m expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem, God! Nehemiah went to God and said in chapter 1, verse 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" (NIV). Nehemiah said three things about God:

You’re great—that’s God’s position.
You’re awesome—that shows his power.
You keep your promises—God’s covenant.

The first thing Nehemiah did was to acknowledge who God is. That’s what praise is. And the beginning of seeing prayer answered is believing that God answers prayer and asking him, based on his character and his promises, to listen and to act.

Confess the sin in your life.

After Nehemiah based his prayer on God's character, he confessed his sins. Repeatedly in his prayer, Nehemiah said the words "I" and "we." He says "I confess . . . myself . . . my father’s house . . . we have acted very wickedly . . . we have not obeyed" and so on throughout this passage. It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault they went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when this happened 70 years earlier. He was most likely born in captivity. Yet he was including himself in the national sins. Our society has taught us we’re only responsible for ourselves. And that’s just not true! You are your brother’s keeper. We are all in this together. Leaders accept the blame, other's pass the buck. If you want to be a leader, you accept the blame and share the credit.

Claim the promises of God.

Nehemiah was praying to the Lord and saying, "I want you to remember what you told your servant Moses." Can you imagine saying "remember" to God? He was reminding God about what he had said in the past. David did this, too. So did Abraham, Moses, and all of the prophets. Does God have to be reminded? No. Does he forget what he’s promised? No. Then why do we do this? Because it helps us remember what God has promised. Nothing pleases God more than when you remind him of one of his promises.

Be specific in what you ask for.

If you want specific answers to prayer, you need to make specific requests. If you make general prayers, how will you know if they are answered? Nehemiah was very bold in his praying. Have you ever prayed, "Lord, make me successful”? If you haven’t, why haven’t you? I believe a good definition of success is, "Fulfilling God’s purpose for my life in faith, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and expecting the results from God.” That is a worthy life objective that you should be able to pray for with confidence. Pray boldly. Pray that God will make you successful in life for the glory of God. If you can’t ask God to bless what you're doing, then you’d better start doing something else. God doesn’t want you to waste your life. Praying this way grows and stretches our own faith, and it invites God to work in, around, and through us in powerful ways!

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Anchor Your Hope in God’s Faithfulness

“From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again.” 2 Corinthians 1:10 (GNT)Pastor, God is watching over you—so there’s no need to listen to your fears.That’s not always easy to believe on a Monday morning. After you’ve poured yourself out in preaching, leading, counseling, and caring for others, fears have a way of creeping in. You may wonder if anyone was listening, if the work is making a difference, or if you have the strength to keep going.Still, you have a choice: You can trust God, or you can let fear shape how you see your ministry.The apostle Paul wrote: “From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again” (2 Corinthians 1:10 GNT). Paul wasn’t writing from a place of ease or certainty. He had faced real pressure and real danger. Yet he chose to anchor his hope not in outcomes, but in God’s faithfulness. He knew that God would be faithful to save him—and he’ll be faithful to you too.In Romans 8:28, Paul wrote, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV).Paul’s point is clear: God is always at work, even when you can’t see it. That doesn’t mean every moment of ministry feels good, or that every decision leads to immediate fruit. But it does mean that God is weaving something larger than the moment you’re standing in.And that matters.God isn’t promising that every sermon will land the way you hoped, that every leadership decision will be affirmed, or that every season of ministry will feel fruitful. Some weeks feel like progress. Others feel like planting seeds you may never see grow.That doesn’t mean God has stepped away.It means he’s still at work.

Prayer: Your Ministry Decompression Chamber

Pastor, in a world of constant pressure and stress, prayer is like a spiritual decompression chamber.Jesus knew that.When you read the Gospels, you see him again and again stepping away from crowds, demands, and expectations to spend time alone with his Father. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV).This wasn’t occasional. It was habitual. “Many people came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses, but Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:15–16 NCV).If Jesus needed that space with the Father, how much more do you?You might be thinking, “I’m too busy to spend extended time in prayer.” But the truth is this: You’ll have nothing left to give your people if you don’t first let God refill you. Ministry drains. Prayer restores.Scripture reminds us, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NCV). It’s in unhurried, quiet moments with God that he recharges, renews, and restores your soul. And as your ministry load becomes heavier, this time with God becomes more essential—not less.So how do you make space to listen to God?Start by being still for an extended moment. Find a quiet place outside, in your office, or in a corner of your home. Sit before the Lord and simply ask, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” Then resist the urge to rush. Be still. Listen.God may bring a thought to mind. He may lead you to a passage of Scripture and speak through his Word. If worries keep intruding, let Scripture redirect your attention and allow God’s truth to quiet what your mind keeps replaying.Pastor, God wants to speak to you, not just through you. He’s not asking for another performance or prayer report. He’s inviting you to come away with him, to be filled again before you pour yourself out.Make space.Be still long enough to listen.Let him restore you.

Thanking God Even When Life Is Hard

Some of you have had a tough year. You’ve endured criticism. Maybe you’ve lost a job. Maybe you’re walking through a rough patch in your marriage.Now comes Thanksgiving. Can we thank God even when times are tough?Yes, we can.“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV)This verse doesn’t say to give thanks for everything. It says to give thanks in every circumstance. People misinterpret that all the time.You don’t have to thank God for evil. If a loved one was murdered, I wouldn’t be thankful. If my wife was sick, I wouldn’t be thankful. The Bible never tells us to be thankful for evil. But in every circumstance—no matter how bad it is—you can thank God because:His purpose is bigger than your problemHe will give you the power to overcome your problemYou will grow through the experience if you allow him to help you growYou may not be thankful for evil or difficulty, but you can be thankful despite evil or difficulty.How can you be grateful when you’ve lost your job, your health, or your spouse? You shift your focus. Instead of looking at what you’ve lost, look at what you still have. And you still have a lot.For one thing—you’re alive.So ask yourself: What am I taking for granted? Your health? Your freedom? Your relationships? There’s an old hymn that says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” We need to do that. Make lists of what you’re thankful for—your family, your friends, your ministry, anything God has given you. When times are tough, that’s when you most need to remember what God has provided.Becoming truly grateful may be the healthiest change you make all year. It’s better than any diet or exercise plan. That’s because love isn’t the healthiest emotion—gratitude is. When you’re thankful despite your circumstances, you’re more resistant to illness and stress.And remember this: You can’t find God’s will for your life when you’re ungrateful.Read this part of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 again: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will.” If you’re not living a grateful life—despite your circumstances—you’re outside of God’s will. It’s that simple.

Thank God before the Breakthrough

“The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: ‘Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!’” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NLT)Pastor, few things strengthen your soul like thanking God before you see the breakthrough.When King Jehoshaphat faced three enemy armies, he didn’t rally the troops with a new strategy or a clever battle plan. Instead, he placed the choir in front of the soldiers—literally leading with worship. They sang, “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NLT).Imagine the optics: musicians on the front line and warriors behind them.But Jehoshaphat wasn’t being reckless. He was being faithful. He was reminding the people that the battle belonged to the Lord. Their formation was a declaration of trust. Their praise was tangible, public, verbalized faith.And, pastor, that’s the kind of faith God invites you to live out too.It doesn’t take much faith to thank God after the answer comes. But when attendance dips, when criticism cuts, when the budget is strained, or when prayers seem unanswered—that’s when thanking God in advance becomes an act of courage.Here’s the miracle: “At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves” (2 Chronicles 20:22 NLT).The breakthrough began “at the very moment” they worshiped.Pastor, you carry pressures that most people will never see. Some battles feel unwinnable. Some problems feel unmovable. But thanking God in advance helps your heart shift from fear to faith, from striving to surrender.So today, take a moment to thank God for what you haven’t seen yet.Thank him for the wisdom you’ll need this week.Thank him for the person he’s transforming behind the scenes.Thank him for the breakthroughs in your church that haven’t yet arrived.God is already working in ways you can’t see. And just like Jehoshaphat, you can lead from a place of praise—confident that the battle still belongs to the Lord.

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