A prayer of the Bible
Nehemiah's Arrow Prayer
Prayed by Nehemiah · Nehemiah 2:4-5
In Nehemiah 2:4-5, standing before the emperor of Persia with a dangerous request, Nehemiah prays a silent, split-second prayer to God between the king's question and his own answer. It is Scripture's picture of the 'arrow prayer,' prayed in an instant, anywhere.
The prayer
The moment, and what it teaches
It is one of the shortest prayers in the Bible, and you can miss it in a single sentence. Nehemiah served wine to the most powerful man on earth, the king of Persia, where showing sadness could cost your life. But he was grieving his ruined homeland, and the king noticed and asked him what he wanted. Everything hung on the next few seconds.
And Scripture records what happened in the gap between the question and the answer: 'So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king.' There was no time to leave, no time to kneel, no time even to close his eyes without giving himself away. So he shot a prayer straight up, silent, instant, in the middle of a conversation, and then spoke. This is the prayer for the meeting, the hospital hallway, the hard text you are about to send, the moment you have no time to prepare. God is not only available in the quiet hour. He is reachable in the half-second, and Nehemiah proves it.
Between the question and his answer, he shot a prayer straight up. God is reachable in the half-second.
Pray it yourself
These prayers were not written to be admired from a distance. They were prayed by frightened, hoping, ordinary people, and the same God still listens. The Living Bread is a quiet place to pray, to be prayed for, and to learn to talk with God honestly, at your own pace.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an arrow prayer?
- An arrow prayer is a short, silent prayer shot to God in an instant, in the middle of ordinary life. Nehemiah 2:4 is the classic example: 'So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king,' prayed silently between a question and his reply.
- What does Nehemiah's prayer teach?
- That prayer does not require a quiet room or a set time; God can be reached in a split second, in the middle of a crisis or a conversation. It encourages praying continually, in the small urgent moments as much as the long ones.