The Challenge of Pragmatism and Prayer

Scripture — Nehemiah 2:2-8 (NRSV)

So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.” The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date. Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah; and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me.

Devotion

So far, we have seen that Nehemiah, the Jewish cupbearer for the king of Persia, was deeply grieved to hear about how the wall of Jerusalem was utterly destroyed. In his sadness and through prayer, Nehemiah formulated a plan to rebuild the wall so as to restore the holy city and its people.

In yesterday’s devotion, we saw that Nehemiah allowed the king to observe his sadness, a risky thing for a royal servant to do. This led to the king asking for the reason for Nehemiah’s sadness, which, in turn, enabled Nehemiah to set things up for the unusual favor he would seek from the king. Explaining his sadness, Nehemiah said, “Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed with fire?” (2:3). This answer, strategically prepared in advance, allows the king to understand Nehemiah’s sadness and even feel empathy.

Thus the king asked, “What do you request?” (2:4). At this point, Nehemiah realized there was no turning back. He would now ask the king for an unusual, special favor. With so much riding on this “ask,” Nehemiah “prayed to the God of heaven” before he answered the king. In chapter 1 we saw Nehemiah as a person of deep prayer, one who wept and prayed for days. Here, in verse 4 of chapter 2, we see a different dimension of Nehemiah’s prayerfulness—his ability to pray quickly, quietly, and spontaneously.

After uttering his brief prayer he continued, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it” (2:5). Once again, we see that Nehemiah has carefully prepared for this crucial conversation with the king. He says things that the king would expect to hear and that might soften the royal heart, such as “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you.” Moreover, he emphasizes something that the king would care greatly about: ancestors’ graves. People throughout the Ancient Near East reverenced the graves of their ancestors. This was particularly true of kings and other royal figures. Thus, Nehemiah crafted his request for a favor in language that would motivate the king and lead to a positive response.

Before granting or denying the favor for which he was being asked, the king sought some additional information, “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” (2:6). Nehemiah had prepared carefully and answered this question in a way that pleased the king, who granted Nehemiah’s favor.

Nehemiah had also anticipated what he would need to complete the rebuilding project. Thus he asked for royal letters in support of his effort, including a letter to “the keeper of the king’s forest” directing him to supply timber for the project (2:8). The king granted this additional request.

What do we learn from this story about the relational challenge of seeking a favor from a boss? Several things come to mind. First, Nehemiah didn’t rush to the king when he first learned about the state of Jerusalem. Rather, he took time to think and pray.

Second, Nehemiah carefully prepared for his conversation with the king. He thought through what he would ask and how. He made sure to appeal to the king’s values and perspectives. He was clear about what he wanted. He was ready to answer follow-up questions.

Third, Nehemiah acted in a conscious relationship with the living God. Right before unveiling his request, Nehemiah “prayed to the God of heaven” (2:4). Then, after the king granted his favor, Nehemiah observed that “the gracious hand of my God was upon me” (2:8).

In Nehemiah, we see someone who has thoroughly integrated faith and work. When approaching one of the greatest challenges of his life, he spent ample time in prayer. And, it is clear, this time of prayer also involved careful preparation. For Nehemiah, Spirit and strategy went hand in hand.

His example reminds me of my friends Jennifer and Jon, elders of a church I once pastored in Irvine, California. They had founded a financial services company that was growing steadily. When I visited them at work, I was struck by how much their faith touched everything about their work: their vision and values, their relationships with customers and staff, and their prayerfulness about everything in their company, from the equipment they purchased to the products they delivered. They saw God involved in their business every bit as much as they saw God involved in their mission work overseas. Jennifer and Jon had what I would now describe as a “Nehemiah-like” combination of Spirit and strategy, prayer and pragmatism.

Sometimes we might think that when it comes to our daily work and leadership, prayer and pragmatism are separate, perhaps even in conflict. But the example of Nehemiah offers another perspective. Like Nehemiah, we can learn to pray about our work, and to pray as we work, and to plan while we pray about our work, and to prepare for the challenges we’ll face at work. Prayer and pragmatism belong together in the life and work of God’s people.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Introduction to Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther.