4 October 2023
Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.’
From Nehemiah 2:1-8, NRSV
Nehemiah was governor of Persian Judea under King Artaxerxes 1. News had reached Nehemiah that his fellow Jews in Judah were in great distress and that the walls of Jerusalem had been broken down by enemies. Such was Nehemiah’s status and influence within the king’s court that he was not only granted permission to return and rebuild the city, but was also given support for his mission including provision of timber from the king’s own forest. Nehemiah expedited his mission with great efficiency and succeeded in protecting, rebuilding and repopulating the city. He also took care to ensure that the people were reminded of the Law of Moses and that they followed it. Having achieved this stability for his people, Nehemiah made good on his promise to return to the court of the king.
- Why do you think Nehemiah prayed before answering the king’s question?
- When have you experienced the benefits of praying in the face of difficult situations?
You might like to read and reflect on this poem.
I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn’t take time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task,
“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.
He answered, “You didn’t ask.”
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me;
He said, “But you didn’t seek.”
I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child you didn’t knock.”
I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.
