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The NIV 365 Day Devotional
Duration: 365 days
Nehemiah Prays First
When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins, that its charred gates sat rotting, and that the Jewish survivors lived in distress and reproach, he did what every great leader must do: He fasted and prayed.
Something powerful happens when a leader prays and stands in the gap for his people. Intercession must always be a primary role for a leader. The apostle Peter once declared his top two leadership priorities: prayer and the ministry of God’s Word (Ac 6:4). A leader’s prayer accomplishes four things:
- Prayer internalizes the burden, deepening our ownership of a need.
- Prayer insists that we quiet our hearts and wait, slowing us down to receive from God.
- Prayer infuses the vision, enabling us to see what God wants to do.
- Prayer initiates the vision’s fulfillment, acting as a catalyst for us to act.
Taken from the NIV Maxwell Leadership Bible.
©2017 HarperCollins Christian Publishing