Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Intention

To devote ourselves to prayer and fasting for Australia, being inspired by Nehemiah’s radical obedience, which resulted in a transformed nation.

Scripture

“The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:

“During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile.

“They said to me, ‘The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.’

“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.”

– Nehemiah 1:1–4

Reflection

Nehemiah’s personal account of how God used his prayer, fasting, and radical obedience to transform a nation serves as a great encouragement to anyone praying to see great things happen for Australia spiritually, socially, economically, and culturally.

Nehemiah was a young Jewish noble exile who served as a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I. When he heard a report that Jerusalem and its people were in dire straits, he was so deeply troubled that he prayed and fasted for them for several months.

Then God gave him great favour with the King. Nehemiah was not only sent to Jerusalem to fix the very issues he was praying about, but the King also appointed him Governor of the region, and arranged resources and protection for him to do the job.

Nehemiah’s assignment was particularly challenging. It would have been far easier for him to remain in the comfortable, luxurious palace in Susa, the capital of Persia. However, Nehemiah trusted in God and prayed in the face of every challenge.

He prayed for strategy. He prayed when faced with death threats, potential attacks, and abuse from his enemies. He also prayed when the people grew disillusioned. God came through every time!

The walls of Jerusalem had been down for around 100 years. But they were rebuilt from rubble in 52 days by a disparate group building with one hand and holding swords in case of attack in the other.

In addition, a revival emerged, and the people recommitted to living in accordance with their covenant with God. Issues of social injustice, such as wealthy nobles exploiting the vulnerable, were confronted, and Nehemiah implemented a series of significant, lasting cultural reforms.

Australia is currently facing numerous significant and complex policy challenges, including the cost of living, homelessness, youth justice, escalating mental health issues, and Indigenous disadvantage, to name a few. As Christians, many of these social issues and their impact on our nation and its most vulnerable deeply grieve us.

We have also seen significant attacks on our freedoms to practise our faith and express our views on cultural issues, including through legislation at both federal and state levels, as well as the introduction of extreme laws, such as allowing abortion up to 40 weeks’ gestation for no reason.

The way God miraculously used one man who was grieved by what was occurring and turned to prayer and fasting inspires us all to consider what answers God might provide if we devote ourselves to prayer and fasting for Australia, the incoming government, ministerial appointments, and the wisdom to tackle complex policy issues.

Like Nehemiah, God may also use us to be part of the solution!

Video

Prayer

Lord, we pray for Australia. Please raise up many men and women of integrity, who have godly values and genuinely care for our nation in the next federal government and its ministerial team.

Please give them wise strategies and policies to identify and address the complex policy issues currently facing our nation. We also pray that the incoming government will act to properly protect Australians’ freedoms of speech and religion, and will repeal unjust laws.

Endow our incoming government with Your justice, O God, the incoming ministers with Your righteousness, may they judge Your people in righteousness and Your afflicted ones with justice (Psalm 72:1–2).

Amen.

Author Bio

Steph Croft is the Strategic Policy Analyst at the Australian Christian Lobby and leads ACL’s policy work. She also leads a weekly prayer group that prays for Australia, the government, and politics. Steph is a passionate advocate for good public policy and social justice. She founded the NSW Public Sector Community of Policy Professionals.

Prayer Points and Purpose for Turn the Tide 2025

1. A righteous government that upholds truth and Christian values. 1 Timothy 2:1–4

2. Wisdom for voters to perceive the true agenda of political parties. Proverbs 14:15

3. A church that disciples the nation in this window of grace. Matthew 28:18–20

We invite you to support this prayer campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for the 2025 federal election. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ, His Son.

Join us for our nightly Zoom prayer call:

DATES: Every night from Sunday, 13 April to Saturday, 3 May

TIME: 8 PM (AEST), 7:30 PM (SA & NT), 6 PM (WA)

ZOOM URL LINK: zoom.us/j/776881184

ZOOM TUTORIAL: youtube.com/watch?v=pAMDxH_H_Cs

View Turn the Tide: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Devotionals

___

Photo via Adobe.