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The Nehemiah Prayer

Brazil is the worst country in the world for COVID. 

I received these comforting words from a friend of mine yesterday who then concluded his email with, "Take care my friend and God Bless!" 

I know that my friend meant well but his short paragraph reminded me of what James told the believers in James 2:16. How often we do this? We see a seemingly impossible situation and "pray" for the needy one and then go our way to cut the grass or buy a new cell phone. 

Is my friend going to be able to help me in any way? Well, yes he can, and he probably does help me more than I do him. He can pray for me. When countries separate good friends, then we are left with the prayer option. We may be involved up to our noses in ministry at church, yet we can stop during our busy and whisper a "Nehemiah prayer". You know what a NP is right? It isn't Nehemiah's prayer uttered in the first chapter of the book that bears his name. It is that quick one that you can't even see in chapter 2:4, The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven,
 
Kings of the world didn't like sad people around. So when Nehemiah's sadness was seen in the king's presence, he was scared. When later in the conversation the king asked what Nehemiah would need to have a successful journey it was the golden moment to ask for help. Thus the whispered prayer that we do not see. 

My well wishing friend is probably whispering these types of prayers for me. In Nehemiah's case, it was that prayer that opened the king's bigger pockets to supply materials and permissions to be able to rebuild the walls of the destroyed Jerusalem. An amazing story. What will my friend's Nehemiah Prayer render on behalf of the kingdom? Only time will tell. 

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