“Be earnest and unwearied in your prayer (life) alert and intent in your praying with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2; AMPC). In other words, we need to persevere in prayer and not give up even if answers are coming slower than we would like. (See also Luke 18:1-8). As I was reading this verse I was reminded of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was one of the Jewish exiles and he was cupbearer to the king of Persia. He got bad news from Judah that the wall of Jerusalem had been torn down and so he started praying. I noticed that in his prayer (Neh 1:4-11) he began by giving God praise and then he repented on behalf of the children of Israel who had turned away from God. Then he laid his petition before the Lord and it was very specific, “Please grant me success today by making the king favourable to me. Put it in his heart to be kind to me” (Neh 1:11; NLT). He then asked the king to give him a leave of absence so he could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. When the king asked him how he could help we are told that Nehemiah again prayed before he replied” (Neh 2:4,5; NLT). He prays once more in chapter 6, verse 14 when he is facing opposition to the building of the wall. In fact, Nehemiah endured a lot of opposition but he was obviously strong in faith because in the midst of persecution he declared, “The God of the heavens will grant us success” (Neh 2:20; NLT).

It seems that Nehemiah was a man of prayer, as we as Christians should be. He prayed before speaking or acting and God gave Nehemiah success and he and his team rebuilt the wall in just 52 days.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust” (Ps 91:1,2; NKJV). The whole of Psalm 91 speaks of God’s protection. He is our refuge and fortress, delivering us from evil, shielding us and using the angels to keep us safe. In 2 Kings chapter 6, we read how Elisha was trapped in a city by the large army of the Syrian king. Elisha’s servant was alarmed, so Elisha prayed that his servant could see the armies of God, “horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:17; NKJV) ready to protect them. Elsewhere in the Bible we are told that God is our hiding place (Ps 119:14), our strong tower (Ps 61:3), shelter (Ps 27:5), rock (Ps 27:5) and stronghold (Ps 9:9). He guards us (2 Thess 3:3), surrounds us (Ps 125:2), shelters us (Isa 25:4), keeps (Ps 121:5-8), helps, strengthens and upholds us (Isa 41:10). God keeps us secure (Prov 1:33), safe – even at night (Ps 4:8) and even fights for us (Ex 14:14). Hopefully by now you are convinced that God protects you 24/7; yes, even you! I am sure we all love Psalm 23, let’s consider verse 4 (AMP), “Yes, though I walk through the (deep, sunless) valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod (to protect) and Your staff (to guide), they comfort me.” Be encouraged if you face difficulties, challenges or persecution remember God’s protection is mightier than anything that can come against you (John 16:3).