Nehemiah recognized that the gracious power of God was with him. How do we recognize God’s power at work? How do we cooperate with God’s work?
Scripture:
Nehemiah, chapters 1-2; Psalms 133 and 134; Luke, chapter 22
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, the king was about to be served wine. I took the wine and gave it to the king. Since I had never seemed sad in his presence, the king asked me, “Why do you seem sad? Since you aren’t sick, you must have a broken heart!” I was very afraid and replied, “May the king live forever! Why shouldn’t I seem sad when the city, the place of my family’s graves, is in ruins and its gates destroyed by fire?” The king asked, “What is it that you need?”
I prayed to the God of heaven and replied, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, please send me to Judah, to the city of my family’s graves so that I may rebuilt it.” With the queen sitting beside him, the king asked me, “How long will you be away and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I told him how long I would be gone.
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me addressed to the governors of the province Beyond the River to allow me to travel to Judah. May the king also issue a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, directing him to supply me with timber for the beams of the temple fortress’ gates, for the city wall, and for the house in which I will live.” The king gave me what I asked, for the gracious power of my God was with me.
Observations: The Gracious Power of God
Recently, I reflected on a passage from Ezra which noted that King Artaxerxes had shown favor to the Jews by allowing them to return to Jerusalem and reinstitute the Temple sacrifices (“God Works in Mysterious Ways”). Nehemiah was a contemporary of Ezra; today’s passage took place in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes. That places Nehemiah’s request 13 years after the decree referenced in Ezra 7. Artaxerxes is obviously still favorable to the Jewish people; when Nehemiah told him about the sorry state of Jerusalem, the king replied, “What is it that you need?”
Nehemiah did not just show up one day to come before the king and ask for help; he was the cupbearer for the king (see the last part of Nehemiah 1:11). We might consider “cupbearer” to be a synonym for “waiter” or “servant,” but in ancient times the job was much more important. After all, the cupbearer was responsible for making sure that the king’s wine was safe (i.e., not poisoned by an enemy). Nehemiah clearly had served Artaxerxes well, and for quite some time, because the king noticed that Nehemiah seemed sad – and asked him about it.
So Nehemiah shared his concern about Jerusalem – the city of my family’s graves. When the king asked Nehemiah what he needed, Nehemiah asked the king to send him to Judah to rebuild the city. That meant time away from his job serving the king, but it also meant the provision of the resources to do the job. Nehemiah requested letters of transit for his travel, and for the keeper of the king’s forest to provide lumber for the temple gates, the city wall, and a house for Nehemiah to live in. And the king gave me what I asked – because the gracious power of my God was with me!
Application: Embracing the Gracious Power of God
I think it’s important for us to recognize two things from this passage. First, God’s power is able to do whatever needs to be done! The gracious power of God was with Nehemiah, and the king gave Nehemiah everything he asked for. That is no small thing! Scripture clearly shows us that there were many times when kings and leaders were not favorable to God’s people. That often meant warfare against them, but it also includes times when rulers simply refused to accommodate God’s people and their worship. Nehemiah recognized that this wasn’t something that just happened; the gracious power of God was with him.
But Nehemiah had also joined God in his work. He served the king faithfully, leading the king to trust him and value him. His humility clearly influenced the king and made Artaxerxes more willing to grant his requests. Nehemiah didn’t say, “You owe me this because of my years of faithful service.” He also didn’t say, “You need to do this because my God will get you if you don’t.” His faithfulness and humility allowed God to use Nehemiah – and Nehemiah acknowledged that God was responsible.
Joining God in His Work
Years ago, when I began my pastoral ministry, I read a book called The Heart of a Great Pastor. The idea that caught my attention was that we should “bloom where you are planted.” That’s what Nehemiah did. He didn’t ask God to give him a different job, and he didn’t grumble about his position. As the Apostle Paul told those who were slaves, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people” (Colossians 3:23). He also directs everyone: “Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
We need to remember that Paul also talked about the attitude we adopt in what we do. “Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3:12-14). Knowing that the gracious power of God is with us is no excuse to be harsh, arrogant, or rude. Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience will enhance the gracious power of God at work in us!
Prayer:
Father, thank You for reminding us that Your gracious power is with us. Guard us against the temptation to arrogance that would hamper Your work in us and through us. Help us to serve faithfully wherever we are, that Your will may be done in us and by us. Amen.
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