Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 1:4

“I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Our prayers of dependence should be of two types: planned periods of prayer and unplanned, spontaneous prayer. We see both beautifully illustrated for us in the life of Nehemiah, who was one of the Jews in exile and was cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes. The book begins with Nehemiah learning of the sad state of affairs of the Jews back in Judah and the fact that the wall of Jerusalem was in ruins. Hearing this, Nehemiah sat down and wept, then fasted and prayed for a period of several months.

We can assume Nehemiah set aside a certain time or times of the day during which he earnestly besought God for the welfare of Jerusalem. Most likely he would have had to schedule his times of prayer around his daily duties, just as we have to do. Because he prayed over a period of several months, we can describe this part of Nehemiah’s prayer life as planned, protracted, persevering prayer.

Then one day, when Nehemiah brought the king his wine, the king noticed Nehemiah’s sadness and inquired about the cause. After Nehemiah explained his concern for Jerusalem, King Artaxerxes asked, “What are you requesting?” (Nehemiah 2:4). At this crucial moment, before Nehemiah replied, he “prayed to the God of heaven.” This quick, silent prayer was probably something like “Lord, help me to speak. Give me favor in the king’s heart.” It was unplanned, short, and spontaneous —in contrast to his planned, protracted, persevering prayer over the previous few months.

Both types of prayer were needed in Nehemiah’s situation. Each gave validity to the other. And each reflected Nehemiah’s consciousness of his total dependence on God. We can learn from his example how to pray for ourselves in the pursuit of holiness.

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