30 More Days... Day 23

Neh. 1:3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
Neh. 1:4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Neh. 1:5 And I said: “I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,
Neh. 1:6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.
Neh. 1:7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.
Neh. 1:8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;
Neh. 1:9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’
Neh. 1:10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.
Neh. 1:11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer.
Neh. 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.
Neh. 2:2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid,
Neh. 2:3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”
Neh. 2:4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Ezra and Nehemiah, they kind of go together. They worked together and lived as contemporaries. They had a common goal and a common heart in so many ways. In fact, some just sandwich the two books into one.

Nehemiah, we find, was the king’s cupbearer. He was a person who potentially had the ear of the king. He had a relationship with the king, yet it was one that he couldn’t and wouldn’t count on. So when news comes from Judah and Jerusalem about the state of the city and the temple Nehemiah couldn’t help but be sorrowful.

The news that came to Nehemiah was the type that confirmed his worst fears. The news was the kind that was a sign to all of Israel and Judah that God’s patience with and grace toward them had been stretched to the limit. If the temple stood, then in the Jewish mind (right or wrong), that meant that He was still with them and that they had His favor..at least some. The temple for them was a sign that God was with them. Even though they didn’t worship as they should, even though they disobeyed God and failed to keep the law, if the temple was standing there was still a measure of reassurance and security that God was accessible and favorably disposed to them. But news comes that Jerusalem is in ruins and the temple is desolate, defiled and broken down. Nehemiah knows that what God had promised had finally come to pass. If Jerusalem and the temple were still in ruins for all to see and it was a testimony to the Jews and all the surrounding nations of the depth of Israel’s sin and rebellion.

Nehemiah prays. He praises. He petitions. He confesses. He intercedes. He remembers God’s warnings. He reminds God of His promises. He asks God to hear his prayers and the prayers of others who desired to fear the Lord. He knows that he might have an opportunity to speak to the king. He might be able to bring this situation before one who had power to do something about it. However, he knows also that he dare not trust his position. He doesn’t dare trust that he, himself, will be able to prevail on the king by some power, strength or eloquence of his own. He knows that God must move the heart of the king. He had every intention of bring this before the king and make petition of him, but God would have to bring the merciful favor of the monarch. Kingdoms had been God’s instrument of judgment and so they could also be His instruments of favor. Still the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord (Proverbs 21:1).

In chapter 2 we notice that 4 months have passed from the time that Nehemiah hears about Jerusalem to the time that he appears before the king and has his an answer to prayer. So often we can miss this waiting period that can exist. We see the prayers of people asked and answered. So often they seem to get immediate answers. Gideon got his over 2 nights. Elijah and Hezekiah got their requests within minutes and seconds of their requests. Abraham’s servant experiences God beginning to answer before he finishes speaking. Here, from chapter 1 to chapter 2 represents a period of 4 months. Nehemiah hasn’t prayed and forgotten. He has prayed and waited in faith for God to provide. But 4 months is a long time to mourn and be in sadness of heart even though it is just the “turn of a page” from prayer to answer when we read about it. We forget just how long it probably seemed to him.

Now he stands before the king and the king notices that he is sad. The king knows Nehemiah well enough that he knows something is wrong and he shows concern. Nehemiah’s sorrow has been strong enough to show up physically in his appearance. Again this is kind of amazing. A king that has the burden and weight of ruling an empire. A king that has demands from every sector. A king whose time is highly prized and demanded. This king notices Nehemiah and that he is sad. Not only that but he recognizes that it is a sadness of the heart... not just a bad day, not sickness. He takes notice and speaks of it to Nehemiah when he might have ignored and passed over it as king and master of all the realm.

Now, we would think that Nehemiah would be pleased. Now, finally, he had opportunity to speak and request. But we see that he is actually dreadful and fearful. The answering of our prayers doesn’t always bring about great peace or comfort. It was a frighting thing to speak of personal matters to a king. What would he say? How would he react? Would he extend favor? It was hard. Now he must speak. Now he must ask a favor of a king. It was a serious thing and he was afraid. He could have wavered in his faith and purpose. He could have failed to speak when the opportunity arose. He probably took a deep breath, perhaps suffered a moment of indecision and wondered if he should really speak his heart. As he begins to speak he again prays even as he speaks to the king.

How often does God bring us to the place of answering our prayers but we fail to take courage and go forward in faith. How often do we turn and go the other way out of fear or doubt? How often do we stay silent when we need to speak, stay still when we need to move?

The king is favorable. He says yes. But he also has some tough questions for Nehemiah. How long? What do you need? Nehemiah is prepared. He has thought and prayed about this moment. It wasn’t just a “blank check” situation. The king would want to know what this would entail and would he be willing to provide the time, resources and labor to accomplish this request. Nehemiah is ready to give details and specifics about what is required and he has a plan to move forward. It is not just a general request. He has thought about the specifics and he is ready with an answer for the king.

So often we can get so focused on the request that when the answer comes we can find ourselves in a place where we find ourselves caught by surprise. We don’t know. We haven’t prayed about it and thought it through. Perhaps that is part of the prayer of faith. Not just making the petition but also seeking God for His plan, the steps and the details. Certainly God doesn’t always give us all the details and certainly there are things that we don’t know and can’t foresee, but it is good for us to consider the future. It is good for us to be wise, and yet not let our designs get in the way of God’s work.

Prayer Request
*We have a number of acquaintances with people that we have met, yet don’t know them well or have a lot of contact with them. There are people like Bojana and family, Joze, Dani, Natasha, Mateja, Boris and others. Please pray that God would give us the opportunity to get to know them better and open doors to share the gospel with them.