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 What’s the first thing you do when you’re insulted, discouraged, or just plain overwhelmed?

Do you text a friend? Do you run to your husband and vent? Do you start tidying the house—wiping counters, straightening pillows—like maybe cleaning the room will quiet the chaos in your soul?

Or… do you drop to your knees and bring it to the One who already sees it all, knows it all, and holds the power to change it all?

In Nehemiah chapter 4, the enemy’s words are sharp. Sanballat mocks. Tobiah chimes in with his sarcasm. Their goal is to humiliate and halt the work. But Nehemiah doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t argue. He doesn’t respond with logic or emotion.

He goes straight to prayer.

Right there in verse 4, he lifts his voice:
“Hear us, our God, for we are despised.”

That’s it. No speech. No explanation. Just honest, straight-to-the-point prayer.

Then again, in verse 9, when the opposition escalates—when their enemies plot to fight against them—Nehemiah doesn’t rally a defense strategy first.

He prays. Again.
“But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”

Do you see the pattern?

Prayer wasn’t their backup plan. It was the battle plan.

Friend, if the enemy has been whispering lies in your ear—if you’ve been feeling worn down, overlooked, or outright attacked—don’t wait until you’re at the end of yourself to call on the name of the Lord.

 Make prayer your first move, not your last.

Let your words rise up before you speak them to others. Let the power of God go before you instead of scrambling in your own strength. That’s what Nehemiah did, and the work didn’t stop. The wall kept going up. The enemy’s plan failed.

And it all started with prayer.

Let’s make this personal.

Next time the attack comes—whether it’s criticism, confusion, or flat-out spiritual warfare—pause and ask yourself, “Have I prayed about this yet?”

Before the text is sent.
Before the tears fall.
Before the frustration spills out on someone who loves you.

Stop. Breathe. Pray.

Talk to God like Nehemiah did. You don’t need fancy words—just faith. And when you do, trust that He hears you. Trust that He’s already at work. Then stand firm, post your guard, and keep building whatever He’s called you to.

Because prayer isn’t what we do after everything else fails.
It’s what we do first.

This Week’s Printable

Here is this week’s printable. Click the image to view and print a higher resolution.