5. Follow Nehemiah’s example and send up missile prayers.
Nehemiah was surrounded by negativity, criticism, scheming, and harassment when he was attempting to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. Even though he was following God’s calling on his heart (he was literally on a mission from God!), he experienced an onslaught of opposition from people who pretended to be supportive. Thus Nehemiah learned to send up “missile prayers” – short but powerful prayers to God – in the heat of the moment. Nehemiah narrates his story and doesn’t tell us he found a quiet place to get down on his knees and pour out to God many eloquent words, or even that he always had another person to pray with him. He just includes phrases like, “So I prayed to the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 2:4) and “But we prayed to our God” (4:9). In some cases he fired off his distress call to God in the form of missile prayers like: “O God, strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9) and “Remember me” (5:19; 13:14, 22, 31).
Here are some missile prayers (and their biblical references) that you can use when negative thoughts begin to assault you:
Lord, lead me in Your truth (Psalm 25:5).
Lord, extinguish that flaming dart (Ephesians 6:16).
God, send out Your light and truth (Psalm 43:3).
Jesus, show me Your truth (John 14:6).
Lord, test my heart and mind (Psalm 26:2).
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT).
Feel free to come up with your own missile prayers. (Some of the early church fathers called these “breath prayers” because they can be uttered as often and naturally as breathing in and out.)
For more on overcoming negative thoughts and emotions and binding them with a better knowledge of the Word of God, see Cindi’s books, Women on the Edge, When a Woman Overcomes Life’s Hurts, and Drama Free.
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