A heart for prayer

 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 2:4).

Before making his request known to the earthly king, Nehemiah made a request to the heavenly King. Before answering the earthly king, he waited for an answer from God. No one heard the the sound of prayer, but the prayer was heard in heaven. Maybe that prayer took seconds, so King Artaxerxes didn't even notice that Nehemiah didn't answer right away, but that short prayer was answered right away. He had prayed for months for the restoration of walls of Jerusalem, and the king's question was the answer to his prayer, but he did not think it unnecessary to turn to God in another short prayer. At that moment he could not go to his prayer closet but he prayed silently while he was serving the wine. He had no place and time for prayer, but he had a heart for prayer.

Short prayers offered under trying circumstances and temptations show that a person has a prayer habit and a spirit of prayer. Nehemiah had his prayer times, his prayer closet, therefore his first response was prayer. If you have learnt to set aside a place and time for prayer, you will learn to pray everywhere and at all times. No one can pray anywhere and anytime, unless he first learns to pray in a certain place, at a certain time. One who can pray in a single sentence is likewise capable of praying for an hour.

From my diary,

July 1,  2023