“Then I prayed, then we prayed.”
Have you ever had a time when you were passionate about what you were doing, and you felt like nothing could stop you?
But somehow, the back door was left open for negative voices and negative words to infiltrate the momentum and stifle our enthusiasm. We paused our work and listened as if these voices had critical information to apply to the mission. Our energy dwindled as we offered a cup of tea, sat down, and entertained the invasive voices.
Nehemiah left the only home he knew to travel 900 miles to repair the broken-down walls of a city he had never seen. Fueled by a vision from God to be a part of the solution to restore the honor of the Holy City of Jerusalem, Nehemiah was set on completing the mission.
Nehemiah and the Jewish people had enemies, and they were vocal. Each time their enemies saw the work of restoring the wall had continued, their threats intensified. Nehemiah shut the enemy down with the truth before, but the naysayers kept returning with their threats and mockery. “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” (Nehemiah 4:5, NLT)
Did Nehemiah invite the enemies for afternoon tea to hear more about these opinions and accusations?
Nehemiah’s response to anything from disturbing news to threats from his enemies remained the same. Prayer continued to play a role in how Nehemiah handled any situation.
The Role of Prayer
- When faced with the devastating news of the disgrace and destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish people, Nehemiah prayed. “I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4, NLT)
- When God prompted Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and repair the wall, he had to ask permission from the king and ask the king for help; Nehemiah and others prayed. “0 Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you.” (Nehemiah 1: 11, NLT)
- When God opened the door for Nehemiah to speak to the king, Nehemiah prayed while making his request. “The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied. (Nehemiah 2:4, 5a, NLT)
- When the enemy continued to mock, Nehemiah prayed. “Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked.” (Neh 4:4, NLT)
- When the enemy made plans to fight and throw Nehemiah and the workers into confusion, he and the others prayed. “They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.” (Nehemiah 4:8-9, NLT)
Nehemiah’s ability to keep the back door closed to the negative voices that wanted to derail the work he had been called to do was fueled by prayer. Nehemiah refused to entertain those voices; instead, he included others to pray with him, which empowered him to maintain the focus for which God had called him.
Nehemiah exemplified and led others to do what Paul encouraged the church to do. “Never Stop Praying.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NLT) Other translations say, “Pray continually” (NIV) and “Pray without ceasing.” (ESV)
Paul, also like Nehemiah, asked others to join him in praying. “Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me…Pray also that the believers there will…” (Romans 15:30,31, NLT).
Prayer is an integral part of our faith, personally and in community with others. As we share our concerns, confess all that separates us from God, listen for His direction, and choose to walk in the ways He leads, we will experience life with a fullness and strength we could not otherwise have experienced.
I pray you grow in your conversation with God throughout the day, remembering to go to Him with everything. May you grow simultaneously in shutting down the negative voices that oppose who God says you are and what He has called you to do. May God give you a group of other believers who can pray with you about what you are facing. In Jesus’ name, so be it.
Meditate: God, help me only listen to Your voice.
Reflect: Where do the negative voices in your life come from? Do you entertain these voices, or do you close the door? How can you grow more in your conversational prayer life?
Deeper: (As you read through these additional verses, ask the Spirit to give you wisdom, and teach you more about prayer in your life.) Nehemiah 4:1-23; Psalm 86; Philippians 4: 6-9
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(Bible References: NLT – New Living Translation, ESV – English Standard Version, NIV – New International Version)
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