Stop and Pray

“Then I prayed to the God of heaven…”
Nehemiah 2:4b (NIV)

One day faded into the next. I was tired of moving forward only to run into another obstacle impeding my progress. I was tired of expelling my energies trying to make a difference. My son’s educational challenges and physical complications were exhausting.

During these difficult days my godly friends directed me to scripture. They prayed for me. They reminded me to pray. However, when I bowed my head to pray the weight of my circumstances were so heavy. I found I was just too tired.

I remembered a man in the Bible who faced challenging circumstances. He ran into one obstacle after another and worked hard each day trying to make a difference. Unlike me, this man was not too tired to pray.

Nehemiah accompanied the Israelites back to Jerusalem after their captivity in Babylon.  He was motivated to help his people rebuild. Having the favor of the king and the presence of God on his side, one would assume the assignment would not be a challenge. However, government officials Sanballat and Tobiah, made it their personal business to undermine the rebuilding progress. Nehemiah responded to each insult and obstacle the same way: he prayed.

In order to revive their spirits, restore their energy, and continue building, Nehemiah and the Israelites found they needed to stop and pray! Through the power of prayer their enemies were defeated and the wall was rebuilt.

We can simplify Nehemiah’s prayer as SAP (Stop and Pray). Dictionary.com defines sap as energy and vitality. For greater impact we can unpack the word further. Vitality means exuberant physical strength or mental vigor; power to live and grow.

Nehemiah had the right idea. By making prayer his first choice he discovered prayer would revive his spirit and restore the mental and physical energy needed to overcome every challenge he faced.

Are you facing a challenge? Are you too tired to pray? Let’s allow the power of prayer to revive our spirit and restore our physical and mental vigor.  Stop and Pray. You will have the energy needed to defeat the enemy and persevere through every challenge you face.