While growing up, I don’t remember ever hearing anyone talk about “help me prayers.” Lots of talk about prayer, but hardly any mention of the type of prayers I would consider to be the most frequently prayed of all prayers. Today, I saw “help me prayers” in Nehemiah.

In chapter 2, Nehemiah is upset about the run-down state of Jerusalem, and King Artaxerxes notices Nehemiah’s demeanor is off.

And the King said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, [What I’m requesting is] that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” (Nehemiah 2:2–5, ESV)

What else could that be but a help me prayer? Right in the middle of a conversation, seemingly with no noticeable pause, Nehemiah offers up a quick prayer, and then he continues the conversation. Derek Kidner says Nehemiah “gasps a prayer and braces himself to reply” (Nehemiah, TOTC, p. 87).

One of the most rewarding aspects of slow, regular Bible reading and meditation is seeing your own world in the text, being assured that your MO, your world, is on God’s radar.