09
Prepare with Prayer
Tim Savage4The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” Nehemiah 2
In chapter 1, Nehemiah, upon hearing of the plight of Jerusalem, wept, mourned, fasted and prayed for his beloved city. “4When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” There, seemingly, was no hope, no answer, no way that help and rebuilding would ever come. But the effective fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). It seems that King Artaxerxes’ concern was out of character, not normal, so when asked what was troubling him, Nehemiah was prepared, in part, by his prayers to God. God makes the impossible, possible.
I need to become a prayer warrior; I need to petition our Heavenly Father more often and more fervently. Evidence of the power of prayer is found through His word and I, myself, have seen time and again the miracles that God produces when we hand situations over to Him. I also think that Nehemiah did his part – he was trusted, liked and respected in the king’s court – that takes hard work and excellence; this put him in a position to ask for the king’s favor and the King’s favor! Hard work, prayer and the final component is faith. Once I ask, then I have to have faith that God will answer. His answer may not always be my answer, but I must remember that His answer is the best answer, even if I don’t yet understand why.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the blessings of yesterday, today and tomorrow. May I represent You well to those around me. May I learn to trust You more every day.
In Jesus name,
Amen
