See the post from 10/9/13.  The key prayer in Nehemiah 1.11 was “Please grant me favor in the sight of the king.”  Besides asking God to hear him, this was the one request in a long prayer.  It came at the end of an extended period of analysis and planning; Nehemiah knew that for his work to succeed, it was crucial to get the blessing of his boss.  This one task had to go well in order for the rest of the work to proceed – it was a “logjam-breaking” activity.

For a group in the midst of a planning process, a good question to ask the group is “what is a key question or concern you have about this project?”  Take notes on the responses, and have the group pray for God’s help in answering the questions and guiding through the concerns.