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Nehemiah 1:11 “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” 

 The other day I started praying and honestly, I just didn’t know what to say. After a few minutes of saying: “Lord you are wonderful and amazing”, I stopped and just said “Lord I just need you, I need your favor in my life. I can’t do anything without you and sometimes I just don’t know what to say. I don’t want to be caught up trying to say these fuzzy words in prayer, I just want to be real Lord, please give me favor.”   

Something shifted that morning when I just stopped thinking and just became real with what I needed. Favor means, an act of kindness beyond what is due or usual. I basically told the Lord I needed him, and His kindness in my life.  

When Nehemiah goes before the king the following in chapter 2, we are told that the King noticed his countenance and then asked Nehemiah “What is it you want?’ (2:4) Immediately Nehemiah states that he Prayed to the Lord!  Why did he stop? Because he needed favor and wanted to make sure he asked for the right things and needed God’s guidance in this.  

God gives you favor when you acknowledge HIM in all things!  Nehemiah not only knew about humility, but he also knew about going to God  in all things. He didn’t want to ask for anything wrong, he wanted to ask for the right things that he needed to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem.  

In verse 6, we see the favor of the Lord over His life as the king responds to give him all that he wanted and needed.  

Nehemiah was given favor because he not only prayed to the Lord but was consistent in his humility and calling upon the Lord for everything. God gave him the desire of his heart, because he remained pure. Not requesting anything for his own personal gain, but for the benefit of his people.  

When we can learn to come to God and pray with this approach of humility, and with compassion for others, God will surely give us the favor we need for our lives.  

Prayer: Father today we take the moment to come before you and we too take this time to repent before you on behalf our families and ourselves. You know the desires of our hearts and how we want our loved ones to pursue you with all their hearts. Please give us the favor we need so that we can go and do your will here on earth and let others know who you are in our lives. We thank you in advance, Amen.