1:4-11 Petitioning God Prayer is the Christian’s first line of defense. As soon as Nehemiah heard the devastating news about the condition of the walls of Jerusalem, he turned to God in prayer. We have a God who asks us to bring our needs before him with boldness and confidence (Matt 7:7-11; Heb 4:14-16). Nehemiah’s prayer was specific and grounded in what he knew to be true about God through Scripture.