Issue #76, February 29, 2012
The first response of Nehemiah to the desperate needs of his city was prayer. “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). His heart was deeply stirred by the report from Jerusalem and he responded with several days of prayer. We noted in the last issue that prayer was already a foundational part of Nehemiah’s daily life, not a response to an emergency. His life of prayer now gives birth to the vision that God has for his life. Leaders are action oriented and our first response is often to move into action, to do something to meet a need. But servant leaders learn from Nehemiah that vision flows out of prayer. Prayer gives birth to vision in several ways.
Prayer keeps us focused on God’s vision.
Nehemiah focused his prayer on God. He recalled God’s promises and acknowledged that the situation in Jerusalem was a result of the people’s disobedience to God’s ways. He also reminded God of His promise to gather those who had been scattered. Without prayer my vision will often be focused on myself, the needs that I have to be recognized, my need to build an organization or my desire to achieve great things. Prayer turns our eyes towards God and helps us focus on what He wants to do to meet the needs around us.
Prayer opens our heart to God’s vision.
Scripture doesn’t record what happened in Nehemiah’s heart as he prayed. I don’t think Nehemiah began praying with a sense that God was calling him to act but he knew that something needed to be done. If he prayed like I do, he probably began by praying, “Lord send someone to Jerusalem to build that wall!” But as Nehemiah prayed God touched his heart and confirmed that he was to be personally involved in the project that would define his leadership. The vision that developed in Nehemiah’s heart was not a vision birthed in his own dreams of becoming a hero; it was birthed through prayer from the heart of God. It was his time in God’s presence that opened his heart to hear what God was calling him to do. Visions birthed in prayer may sound similar to those which are not, but the difference cannot be over emphasized. Vision birthed in prayer gives the servant leader confidence that the vision is not his/her own idea. It provides courage to call others to join in the task and gives endurance when the vision faces opposition. The source of vision shapes the outcome of vision.
Prayer prepares us to act on God’s vision.
By the end of his prayer Nehemiah was ready to act. “Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man” (Nehemiah 1:11). At this point, after several days of prayer and fasting, Nehemiah understood God’s vision for Jerusalem and he knew his own role in that vision. He was prepared to bring the vision of rebuilding the wall to the king. His time of prayer provided the courage he needed to take this bold, and potentially fatal, step.
Nehemiah’s life teaches us that prayer comes before action for a servant leader. Think with me for a moment about what might have happened if Nehemiah had not prayed. Perhaps he would have never received a burden that he was to be personally involved. He could have listened to the report and gone back to his work with little thought of helping others. Or, like many leaders, he could have heard the report and been convinced that something must be done, developed his own vision and plan for how it would be accomplished and rushed into action. In this scenario it is not likely that he would have persevered through the difficulties or had the humility to lead as a servant and glorify God when the goal was accomplished. Servant leaders pray first, then act.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Have I developed a daily pattern of prayer which prepares me to pray during emergencies?
- Reflect on the vision you are currently pursuing. Can you say with confidence that it came from the heart of God? Was it birthed in prayer? If so, what difference does this make in the way you lead? If not, what needs to change?
- Have you ever acted before praying? What was the result? How might things have been different if you had taken the time to pray first?