It’s vital to pray. It’s what God intends for us to do. It pleases Him and He listens. Bringing our requests to Him with thanksgiving is the path to peace. Bowing down before The Almighty One with both our praise and our petitions is our privilege and our connection to Jehovah. Would you agree, however, that sometimes there is another step God intends for us to take after we pray? It is often a step of faith, involving risk and challenges. It might be an assignment beyond our experience or expertise. It can come as a surprise or an unexpected opportunity. Simply said, it is an invitation from God to be an active part of the solution to the crisis or problem. Finding an excuse, postponing your response, or ignoring the gentle prodding are all possibilities when this happens, but there is no joy greater than saying YES to God’s invitation to be His voice, His hands or His feet.
Centuries ago, there was a man who wept, fasted and prayed and also delighted in revering the name of the Lord. His heart was heavy because there were no walls around the great city of Jerusalem where some of his people were now living again. Guess what happened to Nehemiah! Simply said, God came to him asking him to be the leader of the project. Nehemiah was in a strategic position, as cupbearer to the king, to get permission to go and get the job done. He listened and he went. Did he face persecution and opposition? Yes, but over and over he came to his faithful God with his requests. Eventually his enemies “lost their self-confidence because they realized the work had been done with the help of God”. It’s an exciting example of a man who not only prayed but was willing to do “what God put on his heart”.
It might be risky. It might be an uncomfortable or challenging assignment, but what do you think would happen if you agreed to not only pray but to actively become God’s voice or His hands or feet today? This week? What would he like to put on your heart? Would you be willing to do it?
