The Leadership ChallengeSample

Challenge 22

NEHEMIAH: THE LEADER’S PRAYERS

READ: Nehemiah 1:1—2:4

The next several readings will focus on Nehemiah, one of the best examples of effective leadership in the Old Testament. In the opening chapters of the book that bears his name, we see his clear recognition that he faces a complex, dangerous, and politically sensitive task, but that God is in control over it. He is thus committed to prayer and dependent on God to accomplish his mission. Nehemiah uses two types of prayers in our text. The first is a longer, formal prayer of repentance and petition (1:5–11). Before he makes any request, he knows that he must recognize God’s character and standards and confess his sins and the sins of his people. The second type of prayer might be called an “arrow prayer” (2:4), a short, quick, and generally silent prayer raised in the moment of need.

Leaders are doers. We want to take action. Prayer can seem like the last thing we need to spend time on when we are busy. But prayer is no quaint spiritual practice. It is an essential component of a battlefield command and control system in the spiritual conflict in which every Christian is engaged. Leaders of faith cannot be self-sufficient, self-satisfied, or self-righteous. Dependence on God requires humble and frequent prayer for both themselves and those they lead. What other qualities of good leadership do we see in this text? What can you do to improve your prayer life as a leader?