Nehemiah 2:1–5 ‘The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king…’ (v4)
In the TV show Dragons Den, potential entrepreneurs present their ideas to wealthy business people, hoping for financial investment in their big idea.
Once they have completed their pitch, they are asked questions by the Dragons. This is the moment they have been waiting and preparing for, yet they are often left a quivering wreck as they forget their lines and don’t know how to answer the questions, leaving the Den without the investment they were hoping for.
This is Nehemiah’s Dragons Den moment. He has prayed and fasted for days. He has entered the throne room to serve the king as he did every day, but this time he has been singled out for looking sad.
He explains his reasons why and then the king, this person of power and wealth, asks Nehemiah how he might help solve the problem he is grappling with.
Rather than awkwardly blurting out his best guess, we read that Nehemiah prayed to God before he answered the question.
My understanding here is not that Nehemiah got on his knees and started to pray at great length, but that this would have been more of an ‘arrow prayer’.
An arrow prayer is that moment when you pray in your spirit ‘God, help me!’ or ‘God give me strength/wisdom/insight’. A short pause to breathe in the Holy Spirit, asking Him to be with you as you respond.
How many times do you wish you had been more like Nehemiah, firing off an arrow prayer before responding to the question you were being asked?
A Prayer To Make:
‘Lord, thank You that You are always listening and interested in every aspect of my day. Help me to remember that whether my prayers are long or short, You love to hear my voice. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
Practise saying arrow prayers as you go about your day. While driving your car, dropping children at schools, cleaning up the house, sitting at your desk, before a meeting.
Scripture To Consider:
2 Kgs 13:14–19; Rom. 8:26; Eph. 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17
