"Phone A Friend"
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If you're a contestant on the hit TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, you're given a series of lifelines to help answer the more challenging questions. You can either phone a friend, eliminate two of the possible answers (50:50), or ask the audience. Phoning a friend would connect you with someone over video chat where you'd read them the question to get help. You only have 30 seconds, so you better talk quick!
"Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven" (Neh. 2:4).
Nehemiah desperately wants to go home to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city. He’s filled with fear when confronted by the king over his evident despair (Neh. 2:2). Bravely, he explains to the king how the city sits in ruins and remains unprotected. Now the king asks him a simple question, "What do you want?" Faced with the uncertain possibilities of the future, Nehemiah does what any faithful follower of God would do — he prays. He calls on God for guidance on how to answer this difficult question, realizing that he doesn't know the correct answer. And God answers him, guiding him to the best course of action.
You probably experience similar moments of uncertainty today. "How should I answer this person?" "What should I do now?" Maybe you have an idea about how to respond, but you're just not sure. Remember your lifeline! God is available and ready to guide you through life in prayer. He's only a "phone call" away, and you'll never have to wonder if he has the right answer.
Even Jesus reaches out to God for guidance through prayer. Leading up to the troubling events of his crucifixion, he kneels in the garden to pray, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). From his words, we see two lessons about our lifeline of prayer.
Not My Will
Our ideas about how future events will play out should leave room for, "If you are willing." What we want never has more priority than what God wants. We're not in control. We don't know the answers. When we trust in our understanding and jump into action without consulting the Lord, failure is close at hand.
Your Will Be Done
We are incapable of fighting against God and his plans. He's in control. He knows the answers. With his awesome power and mercy, he extends his helping hand to us. Does that mean he'll keep us from experiencing pain and suffering? Not always! Sometimes he needs to refine us through adversity to bring us to freedom.
May we continually kneel in prayer, casting our cares and anxieties on him.
