Pray as if your life depended on it

Nehemiah tells us what we need to know about prayer in many ways.

When he heard of a disturbing situation that concerned the people he loved, he "sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted and prayed to the God of heaven.

"Then I said. O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer."

There tis, good friends.

Bow. Celebrate and praise. Petition. Wait.

Nehemiah, with a full-scale building project ahead of him, wept, mourned, fasted and prayed.

And we, with all that is happening around us, with church attendance down, with spirituality down, with the deep things of Christ down, what are we doing?

In late February, U.S. District Judge Steven V. Wilson of California's Central District ruled that a granite monument kneeling in prayer before a cross lacked a "secular purpose" and has the unconstitutional effect" of endorsing religion over non religion.

According to Wikipedia, "an example of a study on meditative prayer was the Bernardi study in the British Medical Journal in 2001.^[13] It reported that by praying the rosary or reciting yoga mantras at specific rates, baroreflex sensitivity increased significantly in cardiovascular patients.

Many accept that prayer can aid in recovery due to psychological and physical benefits. It has also been suggested that if a person knows that he or she is being prayed for it can be uplifting and increase morale, thus aiding recovery. Many studies have suggested that prayer can reduce physical stress, regardless of the god or gods a person prays to, and this may be true for many reasons. According to a study by Centra State Hospital, "the psychological benefits of prayer may help reduce stress and anxiety, promote a more positive outlook, and strengthen the will to live."

Nehemiah would have said, yep. Told you.

He tops off his prayer by saying" Look down and see me praying right and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned. We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

Lord, we confess we have not been what you wanted in a people. We confess we have not been all we could be, by any stretch of the imagination. We want only for your will to be done on earth. Lord, use to to fulfill your wishes and your will. Use us to bring people to your. Use us, oh Lord.  This is our fervent prayer.