By Morgan Goodson, Frontline Arlington Future Leader

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”  I prayed to the God of heaven, then I answered the king…” Nehemiah 2:4-5a

In Future Leaders we are studying Nehemiah right now and just the type of man he is has amazed me so far and I am only in chapter 2. Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the King at that time and also was of Jewish decent. His brother had come to tell him that there was great distress in the province of Judah- the walls of Jerusalem had been torn down. Nehemiah was utterly heart broken which led him to pray and fast for months. Even though he was disconnected he had compassion on the people.

The thing to remember here is that Nehemiah is a very trusted individual to the King, being a cup bearer he has to drink before the King to make sure it is suitable and not poisoned. Nehemiah risks his life every time he takes a sip before the King. Another important aspect of Nehemiah is that he is a man of prayer. His prayer in chapter 1 is so sincere and such an example of how we should pray (look at it!).

Through his prayers Nehemiah realizes that God has called him to the be the answer to his own requests by making the King favorable in his eyes so he could go restore the walls of Jerusalem. “Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” (Nehemiah 1:11). He prayerfully planned for opportunity.

This is where we come back to the verse at the beginning. Months later, Nehemiah was still troubled and broken for Jerusalem that the King noticed. The King asked what Nehemiah wanted, and he prayed before he spoke.

Nehemiah prepared. He thought before he spoke. He prayed to God before he gave an answer.

Are you a pray-er in all circumstances?

How many times have you been quick to speak and you regretted it? This is such a valuable lesson to pray before you speak…God blesses it.
the last half of verse 5 and 6 goes “and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it. Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.”

God answered Nehemiah’s prayer for him to have favor with the King. Nehemiah saw the opportunity he had prayed for and took action.
God was the center of this whole circumstance. Nehemiah sought God deeply for months. God granted favor on the situation because he asked with a prayerful sincere heart. He prayed and went to God before anything or anyone else. However, Nehemiah turned  his prayer into action. When the opportunity arose, Nehemiah acted upon it.

Prayer prepares you for the opportunity God will give you to act upon.

[Pray like everything depends upon God, work like everything depends upon you.]