This post is Day 8 in a series of studies about “Nehemiah”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Nehemiah – Day 8

This verse is often used in teaching on prayer to say that panic prayers, arrow prayers are OK. Lord help me! or Oh My God! are arrow prayers. It is interesting that in a moment of crisis many who do not even believe in God will call out to Him.

Nehemiah 2:3-5

“Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.” Then the king said to me “what is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of Heaven, and I answered the king,

The Thought

In spite of his fear Nehemiah took the bull by the horns and explained his sadness, but not before praying a panic prayer!

This verse is often used in teaching on prayer to say that “panic” prayers are OK. It’s what many christians call an “arrow prayer”. Most of us do them quite often whether we are believers or not. “Lord help me!” or “Oh My God!” are arrow prayers, sometimes they don’t come from the heart or out of a relationship with The God of Heaven. But it is interesting that in a moment of crisis many who don’t even believe in God will call out to Him.

As we read on in this chapter we see the King’s genuine interest in Nehemiah’s project and his concern that this servant will come back. “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” Nehemiah set a time out of his head. He actually had no idea how bad things were, or how long he would be, but God inspired his answer and he achieved much in record time as we’ll see later this month.

Action

Think of a time in the past when you have been nervous about asking somebody for something. Were you tempted to pray an arrow prayer? (Maybe you did!)

Praise God for some of the past moments when He has answered your arrow prayers or other unspoken prayers.

Praise Him that He knows our every thought. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar (Psalm 139:2).

Read psalm 139 and rejoice in our all knowing God.