Upon hearing the bad and sad news, we are told he did something about it. Nehemiah gave priority to spiritual discipline - prayer  - "...I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven" (1:4). Observe the following: "I sat... wept.... for days...mourned...fasted... and prayed....to the God of heaven" (1:4).

On the other hand, Nehemiah could have acted indifferently and responded passively.  He could have given excuses like, "It is not my business", "I am too busy in my important work", "Nothing much can be done because  Ezra tried but failed" (cf. Ezra 4:21), "Don't bother me, I have to quit my comfortable job if I were to undertake this rebuilding project",  "Here am I Lord, send someone else", "Don't rock the boat because rebuilding the city walls could be misinterpreted as rebellion against the king" and others.

He did none of the above. Instead, he decided to make it his business by doing something about it. He first went to God in prayer and in so doing exemplified the maxim "prayer should not be the last resort but our first resource".^[1]  Unlike us, we would have first formed a  building committee, fund raising committee and even consulted the experts (e.g. engineers) about the structural repairs. 

It is important to note that Nehemiah was under no obligation to do anything about the ruined the walls because he was not responsible for its ruins and he was miles way from the scene of action.  Had he done nothing,  no one would blame him.

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Yet, he took the initiative and challenge to rebuild the city walls. What motivated him to do something about it (take up the task of rebuilding)?  It was his deep concern for the glory of God's name and the good or welfare of the people.^[2] The people had become lethargic, demoralized and discouraged.  What qualifies a man for a task? Burden  (cf. Hab 1:1; Nah 1:1; cf. Ps 137:5-6)  or a "holy discontent" (to use Billy Hybels' phrase). That is what successful leadership is all about.

The Prayer of Nehemiah

I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God  who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love  him and keep his commandments;  let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the  prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and  night for your servants, the people of Israel, confessing  the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against  you. Both I and my family have sinned.  We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your  servant Moses.  Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses,  'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples;  but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do  them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies,  I will gather them from there and bring them to the place  at which I have chosen to establish my name.' They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand.  O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your  servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight  in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!" (1:5-11). ^[3]

Analyzing His Prayer

A    Acknowledging who God is (v 5)

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands (cf. Deut 7:9; 7:21; 10:17, Dan 9:4 and 1 Kings 8:23).

B    Appealing to God to listen (v 6a)

   Listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people    Israel (1 Kings 8:28-29; 8:52 ; 2 Chron 6:40; 7:15; Psa 130:2).

C    Confessing of sins - his and the people (vv 6b-7)   

I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses (cf. 9:6-37; Ezra 9:6-15; Dan 9:4-19; Bar 1:15-3:8; 1 QS 1.24:II.1).

D    Reminding God of his promise to Israel (vv 8-9)

“Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ (Deut 4:27; cf. Deut 28:64; 30:1-4).

E    Asking for divine and human favour (vv 10-11)

“The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” (Exod 32:11;Deut 9:29; 1 Chron 17:21)

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From the prayer of Nehemiah we can make several observations:

• God centred prayer rather than human centered prayer
• His prayer can be called scriptural praying (shaped by biblical quotes commonly known as Deuteronimistic phraseology)^[4] because it is filled with scriptural quotations or echoes from other texts.
• A rare reference to the name of God - YHWH (Yahweh; trans. as "Lord" in 1:9;11 and also 5:13) and here the name of God - YHWH it is used as an invocation. 
• He identified himself with the sins of the people
• Other prayers of Nehemiah can be found in 2:4; 4:4,5, 9; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14, 22; 39. His prayers were spontaneous and short. Where did we get the idea that prayer must be long? The strength of a person's prayer does not depend on its length but depth.
• There were three imprecatory prayers - 4:4-5, 6:14 and 13:29. They     called   upon God to curse the enemies. They must be understood within the context of Israel's war to reclaim the land.^[5]
• Nehemiah prayed because he believed God answers prayers.

Special Requests and Reconnaissance 2:1-10

It was the king with the queen beside him initiating the conversation. The king asked why  he was downcast and he told him he felt a burden to "rebuild the city where his ancestors were buried".  Interestingly, Nehemiah was wise enough not to mention Jerusalem as that would arouse suspicion  from the king. 

More surprisingly (or rather unsurprisingly from divine perspective), the king took initiative to ask how he could help.

I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” (2: 5-8a).

（picture from the Internet）