Tennis shoes and sweatshirts on we hit the sidewalk for a walk. The sky was a brilliant blue and the crisp California air was more like Fall than the February Winter day that it was. We were quiet at first and then we set about the real purpose of our walk: Prayer.

Deep earnest prayer. We lifted up and laid before our God Almighty praise of who He is, our concerns, hurts, struggles and hopes. We prayed for each other. We prayed for ourselves. We prayed for our families and for our friends. We prayed for our faith. We prayed for God to work in our lives.

Prayer. It's one of the most important aspects of our faith and perhaps also one of the most overlooked. I don't pray enough. I know I don't. I also don't pray deeply enough.

Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer." 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

James 5:16 "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective"

Ephesians 6:18 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints"

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

In the next twelve weeks I would like to ask you to take a journey with me through the book of Nehemiah. In a glimpse the book of Nehemiah is the story of rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Through out the book two key underlining themes stand out. Those themes are leadership and prayer.

~ Naomi