Nehemiah 2:4 “Then the king said to me, ‘What would you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven.”

BREVITY OF PRAYER

 When I read this verse the first thing that popped into my head was – this was a short prayer.  I am sure when the king asked Nehemiah this question he didn’t get down on his knees and pray for 30 minutes before answering.

Short prayers are fine.  Why? They are fine when they are part of a lifestyle of praying.  Nehemiah had already been praying for a moment like this.  I bet his prayer went something like this.  “Lord, give me the words to say right now.”  Short and sweet! He would trust the Lord to do as he had asked because he asked to glorify Him.

TEACHING MOMENT

Sometimes our children will pray through this long list of things at night.  I know some children who will start all over if they get something out of order in their nightly prayers.  There is nothing wrong with long prayers just as there is nothing wrong with short prayers.  They just have to be real prayers.

Our prayers should be always prayed according to His will.  They should always be prayed in faith.  They should focus more on others than ourselves, even though God wants to hear our requests for ourselves too.  Just pray with your children.  Let them hear you pray.

When is the last time you have “shot up” a short prayer in a moment of desperation? How about a quickie prayer on the run? Dedicate yourself to prayer.  Let it course through your life like a flowing river.

O Lord, there is nothing quite as sweet as time with You.  Help me to be more obedient in my prayer life.  Let me be a model of prayer to others.