Praying with Nehemiah
When the
Nehemiah series started Eric Ramseyer sent me this reflection and I felt it
could be an encouragement. I love the way he puts himself into the text, then
prays through-this is something everyone can do. I hope when you face
challenges this practice will help you too. –Todd M.
Nehemiah 1:10-11 was my prayer of pleading with respect to my
work during the last couple years at my last job. Quite often, I would name the “man” in 11b
….my boss or the owner of the company ….. depending upon the challenge in front
of me. And I would define “who I am” in
that context. My work was very
challenging, and sometimes I went to work with a heavy burden, or even a fear
of failure. As I reflect on many of the successes, God did not make the path
easy, but God carried me, His servant, through them.
It seemed the greater
the struggle, the more I sensed God’s presence in it. He became greater in me as I acknowledged my
need of Him. When I started the process
of seeking a new job, I also put the new company as the “king” and as candidate
for a job, I was Nehemiah coming with a huge request.
Many times I came before the Lord with this prayer; many times
He calmed me and said “just wait”. The
waiting for me was hard, as the King didn’t just send me forward immediately,
and maybe he didn’t send Nehemiah immediately, either; I don’t know. Yes, to place oneself in the scriptures
brings them to life …. To believe God is involved and cares…it is a way to turn
things over to God, yet act responsibly.
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