When it is said
It fits the minutes before an interview, or any meeting where another person’s yes matters.
It is short enough to say in a waiting room.
Where it comes from
Author known
Nehemiah’s prayer
Nehemiah served King Artaxerxes in the palace at Susa. When men from Judah told him that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates burned, he sat down and wept. He mourned and fasted for days and prayed to the God of heaven. The prayer ends by asking mercy “in the sight of this man”. The next words show that he meant the king: “For I was the king’s cupbearer.”
What happened next
Some months later, in the month of Nisan, the king saw that Nehemiah’s face was sad, and Nehemiah was very afraid. When the king asked what he wanted, Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven and asked to be sent to Judah to rebuild the city. The king let him go, with letters to the governors and an order for timber. Nehemiah put it down to “the good hand of my God upon me”.
The Scripture in it
“O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.