Kristi Burchfiel

Prayer in Action, Day 9 How do we respond to opposition? Certainly, Nehemiah was in an interesting position. He had just spelled out the master plan God had given him. And right off the bat, opposition. Read Nehemiah 2:19-20. As we face opposition, what do we do? This should have been a high point for Nehemiah. After explaining what God had shared with him, the people were excited and on board. This was a high point for Nehemiah. And what happens directly after? Opposition. This seems to be the way things always work. God moves in amazing ways and as a result, Satan moves as well. People rise up to…

Prayer in Action, Day 8 Cast the vision. As we continue, we see that Nehemiah made the journey around the city to truly see exactly the state and the condition everything was in. Read Nehemiah 2:14-18. Now that Nehemiah knows exactly where things are at, it’s time for him to actually share the vision that God has given him. He speaks with the people and explains to them why he has come and what God has put in his heart to do. Nehemiah waits to share that vision until the right time, but when the time comes, he shares it with all the people. How do we share the visions…

Prayer in Action, Day 7 God’s plan. Nehemiah knew that God had given him a mission, but he had not yet shared that with anyone. Read Nehemiah 2:11-13. Nehemiah knew he had to do something. He knew that God had given him a goal and a mission. He probably even had a basic idea of what that mission entailed. However, he didn’t start by giving orders. He started by assessing the situation. Nehemiah went around and actually took a good long look at the current state of the city. When God gives us direction and a plan, do we seek to understand how he wants us to implement the plan?…

Prayer in Action, Day 6 Opposition. It never fails that whenever you are doing God’s will, you will experience opposition. Man’s opposition. Read Nehemiah 2:10. Nehemiah has shown up and is excited about doing the work that God has him to do. However, opposition is not far behind. There are 2 individuals who are not happy about his arrival. Interestingly, they don’t even know why he’s there yet. They are simply not happy about the fact that someone who cares about the Israelites is there. We don’t even have to disclose our plan before we will find ourselves meeting opposition. Sometimes just the fact that we care about the things…

Prayer in Action, Day 5 Giving credit. Do we recognize why we have blessings in our lives? Do we give credit where it is due? Read Nehemiah 2:6-9. With all the requests that Nehemiah made, and the fact that the king granted them all, it would be very easy for him to think that the king just really liked him, or that it had to do with how good of a job he had been doing in his role as cup bearer. Yet Nehemiah didn’t do any of those things. Instead he gave the praise where it was due, to God. Do we praise God and give him credit for…

Prayer in Action, Day 4 A sadness that was overwhelming. As Nehemiah stood in the presence of the king, he couldn’t help being sad. Read Nehemiah 2:1-5. When we are going through our situations, we need to recognize that no matter what is going on, we need God’s help. Nehemiah was in a circumstance where he was broken about the people and the king saw that. However, when the king asked him about it, he didn’t immediately start asking for things. He immediately prayed. What do we do when we are faced with difficult situations? How do we respond? Our response must be to seek God and His will first.…

Prayer in Action, Day 3 I need help! Essentially, that is how Nehemiah starts out. There is a problem and he desperately needs God’s help. Read Nehemiah 1:8-11. As Nehemiah continues to pray, he has acknowledged all the failings and shortcomings that the people have. Still, Nehemiah begs for God’s help. He knows that he can not do anything without God to help and support him. There are no answers to be had and no solutions to be found apart from Jesus Christ. Do we beg God for help? Do we recognize that there is nothing that we can do apart from him? Even now, we all have our own…

Prayer in Action, Day 2 What does prayer in action look like? Well, first it starts with prayer. Read Nehemiah 1:5-7. Nehemiah is broken for the situation and position that the people find themselves in. As a result, he begins to pray. Nehemiah’s prayer begins by glorifying God and reminding God of his faithfulness. Nehemiah shares that God is there and blesses the people. Unfortunately, the people haven’t been praising or blessing God. Nehemiah knows this and he pours out his cries to God begging for him to be open to helping the people, even when they don’t deserve it. Do we cry out to God? Do we beg for…

Prayer in Action, Day 1 We’re going to move back to the Old Testament for a bit and journey through the book of Nehemiah. Read Nehemiah 1:1-4. Nehemiah starts off in a rather dramatic fashion. We see Nehemiah receiving a visitor who gives him news about the state of things in Israel. Nehemiah and many others were taken into captivity and away from Israel. But now, Nehemiah is working for the king, and he hears word of how those who were left behind are faring. And it’s not good. As we go through this book, we’re going to focus on the action that accompanies the prayers of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is…