“Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.” – Nehemiah 2:4
The king’s cupbearer was supposed to be a happy man. That seems strange because the cupbearer’s life was a dangerous one – he tasted all the king food’s and tested it for poison. Guess what would happen if the green beans were tampered with? The cupbearer would die!
The king knew this, so he compensated by lavishing Nehemiah with whatever he wanted. The cupbearer needed to be a happy man, or else the king couldn’t trust him.
Now you understand why the king was so concerned when Nehemiah entered the room with a sad countenance. After discovering the dilemma of Jerusalem, the king desperately asked what Nehemiah wanted to be done. That’s when he prayed.
Here’s the great thing about this verse. It teaches us that prayer is meant to be an all-the-time thing. It’s not as structured as we typically think. The truth is, there’s an open line of communication between us and God, but most of us don’t use it very often. Nehemiah knew that God was always listening, and at any moment he could pray and God would hear him.
How do you view prayer? Is it a memorized or repeated collection of phrases that you say before a meal? Or is it something more? God wants you to come to him about anything, and you can do it anytime. God is always listening. Are you speaking to Him?