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"MAY PRAYER BE OUR FIRST RESPONSE" "And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven," (Nehemiah 1:4)When Nehemiah heard the words of Hanani and certain men from Judah concerning the sad state of affairs of his people and his homeland, his heart was broken. Immediately we see that he sat down and wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. 13 years had passed since Artaxerxes had issued a decree giving Ezra authority to go to Jerusalem and reform Israel. Ezra had witnessed some earlier success, but when the Jews attempted to fortify Jerusalem's defenses by rebuilding the city wall, their enemies were on hand with accusations of rebellion against Persia. This gang of naysayers even went so far as to go tattling all this to Artaxerxes. The result: the king issued a decree that the work come to a screeching halt.Meanwhile back in Persia, good ole Nehemiah, who was a Jewish official in the king's palace, had risen to the trusted rank of cupbearer. When the Jews got wind that one of their own was in a position to speak to the king about all the goings on back in Jerusalem, they couldn't get to Persia fast enough. In short, their report to Nehemiah was one of distress concerning what these enemies of God had created back in Jerusalem. Their desire was that Nehemiah could persuade the king in hopes that he would be more favorable to the Jews again.Now this is where it gets good. These Jews arrived in Persia and spoke to Nehemiah in the month Chisleu (1:1). But when we look at Neh. 2:1, it was the month Nisan. 4 months went by before Nehemiah spoke to the king concerning this matter. What was Nehemiah doing all that time? I'll get back to that in a bit. In Nehemiah chapter 2 we find Nehemiah was going about his usual job of taking the wine and giving it to king Artaxerxes. I can't help but believe that Nehemiah was a happy sort of fella who went about his work wearing a smile from ear to ear, but not that day in the month Nisan. His countenance had gone from gladness to sadness, so much so that even Artaxerxes had picked up on it (Neh. 2:2). When the king asked what was wrong, Nehemiah poured his heart out to the king explaining all that was taking place back in Jerusalem and asked permission to return to his homeland. After a few questions from the king, we find that permission was granted, and the rest of the story is found in the following chapters.Let's think again about that 4-month time period from Chisleu to Nisan and ask ourselves this question. What was Nehemiah doing all that time? The answer is found in that opening verse I posted at the very beginning, "And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven,"You know, bad news seems to come our way on a daily basis, doesn't it? As Christians, we're never exempt from sorrow. If it isn't bad news about something in our own lives, it's sad news concerning something that's going on in someone else's life. In times like that, we find ourselves, like Nehemiah, at wit's end and drop to our knees in total dependence upon our Saviour to mend our broken hearts, banish our fears, and provide the strength in time of sorrow.During that 4-month period, Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for an answer. You see, the Lord was not only preparing Nehemiah's heart concerning this situation, but He was also preparing the king's heart as well.Friends, let's never be in a hurry for an answer to our prayers. Let's just continue to bring our petitions to God. And even if it takes 4 months or longer for the light to shine that reveals a clear path; with simple childlike faith, let's remain true to the task at hand like Nehemiah and allow God to work, not only in our own life, but also in the lives of others.