Great Prayers of the Bible: Nehemiah's Arrow
19 July 2025 · 1 min read · Prayer
Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem's walls lay broken, and wept, fasted, and prayed for months. Then came the exposed moment: the king of Persia noticed his cupbearer's sad face and asked, For what dost thou make request? Court protocol gave him seconds.
Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
The prayer between sentences
So I prayed to the God of heaven — the whole prayer fits inside the king's pause for breath. An arrow prayer: instant, silent, aimed. Then Nehemiah answered the king with a bold, specific, well-prepared request — and got everything, plus timber.
The arrow flew true because of the archery practised beforehand: chapter 1 records the long prayer that preceded the short one. Crisis prayers draw on accounts filled in the quiet months.
O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.
Praying with your hands full
Nehemiah's whole project runs on this rhythm — pray and post a guard, pray and keep building. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch. Prayer and practicality are colleagues, not rivals.
Learn both of his speeds: the long secret preparation, and the arrow loosed mid-conversation. The God of heaven fields both — sometimes, as with Nehemiah, in the same sentence.
