Every year, starting in January, I start praying about a theme for the next set of Advent devotionals. Sometimes the Lord allows me to wait until mid-November before revealing the theme, and other times he tells me early. This year’s theme came to me in late Spring. But the key element here is prayer. Before I even begin writing, I have prayed long and hard about choosing the topic.
Nehemiah was serving the king and living a routine life in Babylon when his brother Hanani returned from a trip to Jerusalem. Hanani described how weak and vulnerable the city was because its walls had been destroyed and its gates were burned.
Shocked and saddened, Nehemiah wanted to take action. But before he spoke to the king, he paused to fast and pray for four months. He might have waited even longer, but the king initiated a conversation about what caused Nehemiah to be so sad. Sending up one more brief prayer, Nehemiah revealed his burden for the city of Jerusalem. The result was the king’s support for the entire project. Nehemiah left his court duties, arrived in Jerusalem and less than two months later, the entire wall was rebuilt!
Are you waiting for God to act? Why not use this time for prayer so that you will be ready when he calls you to action?
