Prayer In The Moment

When you are aware of God’s existence in your everyday life then a prayer-in-the-moment becomes more frequent.

Nehemiah 2:1-10

Reference:  v.4  The king said to me, “What is it you want?”  Then I prayed to the God of heaven… (NIV Bible)

Explore:   There are many prayers mentioned in the Bible: Daniel got in trouble for praying; the Psalms were prayers in song; Jesus would remove himself from crowds to pray; and even when the Apostle Paul was in prison he prayed.  Prayer is so diverse that many people can pray in various ways.  It was refreshing for me to read that Nehemiah also prayed like I do at times, he had a prayer-in-the-moment.  He didn’t remove himself from the king’s presense to pray, he would not have made the prayer long and detailed (as he would have looked foolish before the king), he just said a prayer to bring God into a moment when he needed His wisdom and guidance.

Application:  When you are aware of God’s existence in your everyday life then a prayer-in-the-moment becomes more frequent.  As I walk into a meeting I will often ask God for His wisdom; as someone I know comes to mind I’ll briefly ask God to make His presence known to them; as I deal with a conflict I’ll just think, ‘God give me the right words to say.’  A prayer-in-the-moment is not lengthy or detailed, it just invites God into your awareness as you go through situations you encounter.  It does not replace more detailed prayer, as even Nehemiah had been spending many days in prayer beforehand, but it is a personal way of bringing God into your awareness for that moment.

Prayer:  Lord, we know that you are always with us.  Often we can get distracted and think we can do all things in our own strength.  May we be aware of your presence, even through the smallest moments of the day.  Amen.

Have you ever said a prayer-in-the-moment?  What style of prayer helps you to connect with God?

Nehemiah