Nehemiah 2:4-5
Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”
I have always been impressed by people who can seemingly summon the perfect words at the drop of a hat. I am more meditative myself. Both styles are equally valid but both are inadequate without the addition that Nehemiah made to the equation. Here he was in a high pressure situation. The king asked him what he wanted and his very life may have depended on the correct answer. Nehemiah’s response was neither quick witted nor contemplative and it is easy to miss the secret to his wisdom. Here it is. Before he said a word, this happened. “So I prayed to the God of heaven.“
Brilliant! The decision to pray first has three advantages. It prevents us from blurting out unwise words in anger. It is better to call on the Lord than our own wits, and it is so easy to depend on the Lord, especially when so much depends on it. Nehemiah could have said he had no time to pray and we would have to agree. I suppose his prayer was no longer than five seconds. This is a valuable lesson for those of us that don’t think we have time to pray. Today, be ready with a “Nehemiah Prayer” if you find yourself in trouble.
O Heavenly Father, teach us to pray as Jesus did and as Nehemiah did. We praise you that prayer avails much because you love us much. In Jesus’ name. Amen.