Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, February 9.

Our image of God affects how we relate to Him, so it's vitally important that we know the truth about our Heavenly Father.

Let's listen in to gain a better understanding of the God to whom we pray.

Is the God whom you worship big enough to handle all the challenges you bring to Him in life?

All of us bring Him all different kinds and they come from all different avenues and oftentimes they come suddenly.

Sometimes we can see them coming a long ways down the track.

All different kinds of challenges all the way from things that are material like finances or things that are emotional like loneliness.

Is the God's you worship big enough to handle all of those challenges?

Well, I want you to turn if you will to Nehemiah because in this passage of Scripture I believe the most important element in our prayer life is to be found.

And while there are many things that are very important, I believe there's one thing that overrides all the rest.

And probably one of the reasons that many people's prayers are not answered is because they're not aware of this.

And oftentimes we'll bring out challenges to them and think, well Lord, I've told you about it now what?

Are oftentimes people will say, well, you know, I do pray but somehow I don't seem to have the assurance, I don't seem to have the confidence, I don't seem to have the faith.

And so oftentimes their prayers just trail off into what they would consider failure because nothing ever happens.

It just may be that here is one of the private reasons.

Let me give you a little background.

You remember that the nation of Israel, or the nation of Judah, was taken away in Babylon and captivity and many of the people were killed, many of the people were taken away as slaves.

And Jeremiah had prophesied that it would be 70 years before they could go back.

And so those 70 years are over now.

And here's Nehemiah who becomes a leader among those who lead the people of Israel, God's Hebrews, back to the nation that is theirs.

Back to rebuild Jerusalem, rebuild the walls, rebuild the gates.

And so it is a very encouraging time but a very despairing time for those people.

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