Stay Up or Pray Up

By Reverend Michael Farias

There are times in every leader's life when split-second decisions must be made.  Not only must a choice be made on the fly, but the right option must be chosen.

Leadership decision-making is more than a yes or no.  It is usually strategic.  It usually requires a game plan.  It often sets an initiative in motion that will change lives.

You must be prepared beforehand for decisions such as these.

Not long ago, I was in the conference room with the board of an organization I serve on.  The Chairman was faced with making a decision, and I watched as he wrestled with himself.  Once he decided, we all went our separate ways and put into motion events that would launch the next steps.  Two days later, he notified the board that he had changed his mind, and to stop everything.  It was too late.  There would be collateral damage.  His reason for changing his mind is that he had not had time to pray about it before deciding.

The lesson here is that we can be prayed up so that we are confident in our decision-making abilities, or we can stay up, worrying whether or not we made the right choice.  Sometimes you have but a moment to make a monumental decision.

Nehemiah was a leader who had learned about the troubled condition of a city he loved, Jerusalem.

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4.

We see a strategy that Nehemiah employed upon being faced with a burden.  He wept, mourned, fasted and prayed.  Even though Nehemiah had no power to change the condition of Jerusalem, it did not stop him from considering the possibilities. Part of Nehemiah’s prayer was asking for favor with the king.

Some 5 months later, the unthinkable happened.  Nehemiah found himself in front of the king. Surprise - look at what the king asked Nehemiah!

The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Nehemiah 2:4.   

This is an amazing opportunity.  This is the moment every leader waits for.  This is the moment when the leader becomes empowered.  This is the moment where you better know how to respond.  This may be your one and only chance to change the world.  Don’t blow it.  Are you prepared?

Nehemiah responded, “Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king.” Nehemiah 2:5.  

This was an immediate response by Nehemiah.  It was not a time-out.  He did not say, “let me get back to you,” or “let me think it through,” or even, “let me pray about it.”  No, none of that, it was an immediate response because he was prepared. He had been preparing for months.  Are you prepared?

For the sake of time and space, I won’t get into the details of what Nehemiah asked for, but it’s all there in chapter 2.  There were four specific things he told the king he wanted, and not only did the king grant the four things, the king offered a fifth.  He offered everything Nehemiah needed and wanted, and more.

There are times in the life of a leader when the King of Kings asks us what it is we want in order to fulfill the mission or burden that he has placed in our heart.  When that moment happens, we better know the answer.  The way we get the answer, even before the question is asked, is by being prepared.  So you can pray up, and always be prepared, or you can stay up, worrying if you answered correctly. The next time you face an important decision, will you be prepared?