our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Oct 26, 2018, 12:36:21 AM10/26/18

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The Prayer and the Chain Saw

Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant. Nehemiah 1:11

I respect my Aunt Gladys’s intrepid spirit, even if that very spirit concerns me sometimes. The source of my concern came in the form of news she shared in an email: “I cut down a walnut tree yesterday.”

You must understand that my chainsaw-wielding aunt is seventy-six years old! The tree had grown up behind her garage. When the roots threatened to burst through the concrete, she knew it had to go. But she did tell us, “I always pray before I tackle a job like that.”

While serving as butler to the king of Persia during the time of Israel’s exile, Nehemiah heard news concerning the people who had returned to Jerusalem. Some work needed to be done. “The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). The broken walls left them vulnerable to attack by enemies. Nehemiah had compassion for his people and wanted to get involved. But prayer came first, especially since a new king had written a letter to stop the building efforts in Jerusalem (see Ezra 4). Nehemiah prayed for his people (Nehemiah 1:5–10), and then asked God for help before requesting permission from the king to leave (v. 11).

Is prayer your response? It’s always the best way to face any task or trial in life.

Father, Your Holy Spirit reminds us to pray first. Today, we commit to doing so as Your Spirit prompts us.

Make prayer a first priority, instead of a last resort.

祷告与电锯

主啊，求祢侧耳听祢仆人的祈祷。-尼希米记1章11节

我很敬佩姑姑勇敢无畏的精神，但有时她那股干劲却也让我担忧。正如她在电子邮件中所分享的消息，更是令我提心吊胆，她说：“昨天我砍倒了一颗核桃树。”要知道，我那挥舞着电锯的姑姑已经高龄76岁了！那棵树一直长在她的车库后方，当树根险些撑破水泥地时，她知道那棵树不能留了。但她也告诉我们：“我在进行那样的工作之前，一定会先向上帝祷告。”

在以色列人被掳的时期，尼希米担任波斯王的侍酒总管，当他听到那些回到耶路撒冷的同胞所面对的情况，他知道自己必须采取行动。因为“耶路撒冷的城墙拆毁，城门被火焚烧”（尼希米记1章3节）。损坏的城墙让城内居民更容易遭外敌侵扰，尼希米关心同胞们的景况，想为他们贡献一些心力。然而，他做的第一件事是先为此祷告，因为新任的波斯王已写了一封信，禁止重建耶路撒冷（参阅以斯拉记4章）。于是，尼希米为同胞祷告（尼希米记1章5-10节），先求上帝的帮助，然后才请求国王让他返回耶路撒冷（11节）。

祷告是你处事的第一反应吗？无论在生活中遇到何种难题或试炼，祷告都是最好的应对方式。

亲爱的天父，圣灵提醒我们要先祷告。
今天，我们愿按圣灵感动去祷告。