“They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
– Nehemiah 6:9 (NIV)

Nehemiah worries me
All that talk of building a wall,
and enforcing segregation from neighbours.

And can he really be trusted?
Faithful to his faith, that he is
but also an official in a Persian court.

This project manager and Ezra work together
re-building temple and city walls
and renovating faith.
It wasn’t easy.

The Book of Nehemiah is his spiritual memoir,
his first person journal of his work,
and his hearts deepest cry.

In the end, that’s what took my heart
the pop-up prayers inserted in his reports,
his woes held in tension with his courage,
his pleas in times of trouble,
and his spontaneous bursts of blessings.
In the midst of the daily, Nehemiah breaks into prayer.

What about you? Have you prayers that pop up for you when you need them most?

  “Blogging one verse from every book of the bible.”