Pray Like You Mean it

Nehemiah is called a man of prayer and action. Notice that the word prayer is placed before action. This is because throughout his book it is observed that Nehemiah rarely move or decide to do things without consulting God first. In twelve out of the thirteen chapters of the book, Nehemiah is seen praying or seeking God. He places the highest regard for God’s thoughts and decisions. He knows that so long as he places his focus on God nothing can faze him.

In my readings I’ve come to realize that Nehemiah prayed in different ways. He did not find the need to wait and find a quiet place to pray because there were times when he recognized the urgent need of seeking God but there was no time to stop and go through a lengthy prayer nor was it something that could wait. He was so dependent on God that he needed to talk to Him then and there.

Nehemiah showed three kinds of prayer:

• Major prayers – shows that he prays first then waits for God to direct his footsteps
  • Nehemiah 1:4-11 – prayer of confession and direction
    • Sets the tone for the book and gives a picture of a man who turned to God in prayer the moment things took a down turn
    • He prayed for God to forgive the people of Jerusalem for their transgressions and for God to guide him in what He was supposed to do
  • Nehemiah 4:4-5 – prayer for courage and vindication in the face of his enemies
    • Nehemiah sought God’s help in the face of threats that he received from those who were against what God has called him to do
    • He did not pray for anything bad to happen to them only that God would do his will
• Minute prayers – moments when God prayed short prayers before facing urgent circumstances. It’s scattered throughout the book but is concentrated on chapters 6 and 13. Nehemiah even looked for God to display a certain attribute or action. It shows how often he offers a quick prayer as he faced an obstacle and then get to work. He is someone strongly dependent on God to get things done.
  • Nehemiah 5:19 – seeking God’s blessing
  • Nehemiah 6:9 – seeking God’s strength
  • Nehemiah 6:14 – seeking God’s vengeance
  • Nehemiah 13:14 – seeking God’s endurance
  • Nehemiah 13:22 – seeking God’s mercy
  • Nehemiah 13:29 – seeking God’s faithfulness
  • Nehemiah 13:30 – seeking God’s changelessness

• Mute prayers – quick, under the breath prayers which isn’t recorded word per word but shows a man who doesn’t do much without praying.
  • Nehemiah 2:4 – Nehemiah asking permission from King Artaxerxes
    • Before asking for the king’s permission, he prayed to God quietly
  • Nehemiah 4:9 – when there was a threat
    • Before deciding how to defend themselves he prayed for God’s direction

Nehemiah was shaped immensely in prayer. He was a man who depended on God not only when he needed help or guidance but in every step he took, he sought God.

Reference: http://nathanielclaiborne.com/learning-how-to-pray-with-nehemiah/