¹¹ Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.^[a] (Nehemiah 1:11 CSB)

Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer. Meaning he was the person appointed to test any drink the king was given to make sure it was not poisoned. He was trusted, yes, but also expendable. And he was about to ask a great thing of the king, so he was praying for guidance, success and compassion with the king and from The King.

Do we do this? Do we ask big things of God with attentive prayer? Maybe we do in relation to worldly things like, great success, healing, deliverance. But do we consider when we are doing so the spiritual side of each of these prayers. We need to as Nehemiah did. He knew what he was about to ask the king would need God’s divine hand to gain a favorable answer. Furthermore, what he was asking would take a supreme effort by himself and others if it were to be fulfilled. He was asking a lot of both the earthly and the heavenly kings.

But he also knew and trusted God’s promises. He knew, because he had bathed his desire in prayer and knew it was what God ultimately wanted. He was asking to be an instrument of God and I have to believe God loves these kind of prayers.

When we begin any great effort with both the end and God in mind it is far more possible that it will succeed.