That Takes Nerve!

Daily Reading:  Nehemiah 1-2

Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.  (Nehemiah 2.4)

Devotional Thought: The prophet Nehemiah, learning the plight of his exiled Jewish brothers and their ruined holy city of Jerusalem, is deeply mourning as we are introduced to him in the Old Testament.  His mourning was not a passive sadness, but rather a seeking of God’s will and waiting for instructions as he fasted and prayed.  His prayer was not primarily supplication, but rather confession, both of his own sins and the sins of Israel as a whole.  In other words, he had an attitude of humility and a position of willing obedience for God to use him.

As cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah had the physical proximity, if not the social clout, to make a request of him.  The king, noticing Nehemiah’s sadness, asked him the reason for his sorrow.  Nehemiah was afraid, but after the king asked him directly what he was requesting, he answered.  Notice Nehemiah’s response.  Though this undoubtedly happened in mere seconds, verse 4 tells us that Nehemiah “prayed to the God of heaven” before laying his requests before the king.

This guy has a lot of nerve!  Not only did he ask for permission to leave the king’s service to rebuild Jerusalem, he asked for the materials to build the city’s walls and gate!  What’s more surprising is that Artaxerxes gave him everything he asked for.  This is mind-boggling, but no more so than when the Egyptians gave the Israelite slaves whatever they asked for (prior to the Exodus).  The reason for both is made plain in the text:  God was working, even in the hearts of the unbelieving, to accomplish his purposes.  When God’s hand is at work, we too can act with boldness.  But we must position our hearts like Nehemiah – in humility and obedience, constantly seeking the Lord in prayer.

Jenny

Prayer: Lord, incline our hearts towards you… remind us that without you, we can accomplish nothing of importance or eternal significance.  Accomplish great things through us, to the praise of your glory!

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 106:24-31

24 Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.

25 They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.

26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the wilderness,

27 make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.

28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

29 they aroused the LORD’s anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.

30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked.

31 This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.