Nehemiah 2:8 …And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Oh Friends, that’s what usually happens when we are walking with the Lord; doing His will, stepping out to do something big or small for Him. There are always obstacles in our way, but if the Lord is onside with the project, then those obstacles, even seemingly insurmountable ones, are often solved with little or no difficulty. And so it was with Nehemiah when he conceived the project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Having heard that his brethren there were ‘in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.’ (Neh.1:3-4) As was the custom, he first acknowledged God’s sovereignty, then reminded Him of His covenant, confessed the Israelites had sinned against Him, so had been scattered abroad, but He’d also promised that if they repented, He would have mercy and gather them once again to Jerusalem, and ends. ‘ O Lord I beseech thee, let thine ear now be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cup- bearer.’ (Neh.1:5-11) And Friends, Nehemiah’s wish was granted. But what’s interesting is how it happened. Now he was the official cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Babylon, during the Israelites captivity there, and one day while serving him, his countenance was sad. ‘Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.’ (Neh.2:1) So the king asked why he was sad, since he wasn’t sick? ‘This is nothing else but sorrow of the heart.’ (vs.2) Nehemiah was obviously afraid, but he stood strong and told the king about the problems his people in Jerusalem were having. ‘Then the king said unto me, for what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.’ (vs.4) Oh Friends, it’s very important to note, that before Nehemiah answered the king, he first talked to God. That’s a wonderful example we should all emulate; in all our doings, talk to God first, even if it’s just a quick, silent plea for guidance, like Nehemiah’s must have been, since he couldn’t keep the autocratic king waiting long for an answer. Then, guided by the Lord’s Spirit, he told the king what he wanted. ‘And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.’ He got everything he asked for. Why? Because of his genuine, heartfelt desire to do something worthy for the Lord, and first invoking His guidance and blessing. Therefore the Lord softened the king’s heart, just like He hardened Pharaoh’s. And there was opposition from the time he left Babylon. When he got to Jerusalem, he even reconnoitred the situation by night to avoid suspicion. ‘Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.’ (vs.18) Oh Friends, you see what is possible when we work, for, with and through, rather than against the Lord? And even when some petty officials of other nationalities, ‘heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, what is this thing ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?’ (vs.19) But little did they know that the king was solidly behind them, through the Lord’s grace. ‘Then answered I them…the God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build.’ (vs.20) And this they did, in spite of much opposition, treachery and deceit. Praise His Holy Name people! And that’s exactly how we should treat all our projects, great or small: first get the Lord’s blessing, then work seriously and steadfastly at it. For if the Lord be for us, who can triumph against us eh? Nobody Friends, nobody!. So let’s all resolve to work accordingly nuh; build in His name, with His help. Much LOVE!…the Lord’s help…it’s absolutely necessary…to achieve continued success…
Oh Friends, that’s what usually happens when we are walking with the Lord; doing His will, stepping out to do something big or small for Him. There are always obstacles in our way, but if the Lord is onside with the project, then those obstacles, even seemingly insurmountable ones, are often solved with little or no difficulty. And so it was with Nehemiah when he conceived the project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Having heard that his brethren there were ‘in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.’ (Neh.1:3-4) As was the custom, he first acknowledged God’s sovereignty, then reminded Him of His covenant, confessed the Israelites had sinned against Him, so had been scattered abroad, but He’d also promised that if they repented, He would have mercy and gather them once again to Jerusalem, and ends. ‘ O Lord I beseech thee, let thine ear now be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cup- bearer.’ (Neh.1:5-11) And Friends, Nehemiah’s wish was granted. But what’s interesting is how it happened. Now he was the official cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Babylon, during the Israelites captivity there, and one day while serving him, his countenance was sad. ‘Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.’ (Neh.2:1) So the king asked why he was sad, since he wasn’t sick? ‘This is nothing else but sorrow of the heart.’ (vs.2) Nehemiah was obviously afraid, but he stood strong and told the king about the problems his people in Jerusalem were having. ‘Then the king said unto me, for what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.’ (vs.4) Oh Friends, it’s very important to note, that before Nehemiah answered the king, he first talked to God. That’s a wonderful example we should all emulate; in all our doings, talk to God first, even if it’s just a quick, silent plea for guidance, like Nehemiah’s must have been, since he couldn’t keep the autocratic king waiting long for an answer. Then, guided by the Lord’s Spirit, he told the king what he wanted. ‘And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.’ He got everything he asked for. Why? Because of his genuine, heartfelt desire to do something worthy for the Lord, and first invoking His guidance and blessing. Therefore the Lord softened the king’s heart, just like He hardened Pharaoh’s. And there was opposition from the time he left Babylon. When he got to Jerusalem, he even reconnoitred the situation by night to avoid suspicion. ‘Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.’ (vs.18) Oh Friends, you see what is possible when we work, for, with and through, rather than against the Lord? And even when some petty officials of other nationalities, ‘heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, what is this thing ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?’ (vs.19) But little did they know that the king was solidly behind them, through the Lord’s grace. ‘Then answered I them…the God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build.’ (vs.20) And this they did, in spite of much opposition, treachery and deceit. Praise His Holy Name people! And that’s exactly how we should treat all our projects, great or small: first get the Lord’s blessing, then work seriously and steadfastly at it. For if the Lord be for us, who can triumph against us eh? Nobody Friends, nobody!. So let’s all resolve to work accordingly nuh; build in His name, with His help. Much LOVE!…the Lord’s help…it’s absolutely necessary…to achieve continued success…
SCRIP-BITS 