Nehemiah 2:1-8
In the month of Nisan in the
twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the
wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the
king asked me, “Why
does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but
sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, but I
said to the king, “May
the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my
ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of
heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor
in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are
buried so that I can rebuild it.”
Then the king, with the queen
sitting beside him, asked me, “How
long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send
me; so I set a time.
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I
have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me
safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper
of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the
citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will
occupy?” And
because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.
Let’s just
think about that last sentence for a moment.
We’re only
one chapter and 8 verses into the story and we already know that Nehemiah is
quite a guy. He has risen to a position of great responsibility and influence
even though he is a Jew living in exile in Persia. He has kept his role as
cupbearer to the king for 20 years. He speaks daily with the most powerful man
in the known world. He has put together a plan to rebuild the walls and gates
of Jerusalem and has waited patiently for just the right time to approach the
king with his plans. He has just received permission to take a leave of absence
from his job to undertake this great project; he has been granted the promise
of protection while he travels; and he has been given access to all the
material resources he will need. So right about now we might expect him to
indulge in some chest thumping or to give himself at least a little pat on the
back.
Nope.
What we get is a simple and
humble statement of faith that is all we need to know about Nehemiah.
And because the gracious hand
of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.
Nehemiah lived under and by the gracious hand of his God. That’s
why his heart was broken by the news from Jerusalem. That’s why he
fasted and prayed for four months. That’s why he was willing to risk his life
to show his sadness to King Artaxerxes. That’s why, when the king asked, he was able
to respond with both respect and boldness. And that’s why the
King of Persia granted his request.
Because the gracious hand of God was on him.
So often I think we live as if we aren’t sure if
this is true. We live as if we’re not sure God is gracious. We live as if we
aren’t sure the hand of God is on us. Therefore, we live as if our
failures are final and our fears are debilitating.
Nehemiah knew that even if Artaxerxes refused to grant his
request the gracious hand of God was still on him. Nehemiah knew that even if
showing his sadness to the king cost him his life the gracious hand of God was
on him.
Nehemiah knew God.
And because he knew God he knew that his failures were not final
and that his fear was not debilitating. He knew the great freedom that comes
with knowing the gracious hand of his God was on him.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that as followers of Christ we have
the same promise:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
The purpose is God’s.
The work is God’s.
The power is God’s.
The resources are God’s.
The glory is God’s.
The call is ours.
Pastor Brian Coffey
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