In the month of Nisan,
in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up
the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
THE STUDY:
Moving into
chapter 2 we are seeing this chapter broken into two segments: “The Request”
(vs 1-10) from Nehemiah and “The Review” (vs 11-20). Today we want to look at
how Nehemiah makes his request to the King. Recapping from Chapter 1 we know
that Nehemiah was confident at the conclusion of his prayer to God. What we are
reading in 2:1 is taking place 3-4 months after the end of Chapter 1.
One can only
speculate why it took Nehemiah 3-4 months to approach the King. Perhaps his
time in front of the king was not until then or Nehemiah could have been
waiting for the right time. One last reason could have been that he was afraid
and had to build up the courage to approach the king. For the sake of this
devotional I am going to lean toward the idea that Nehemiah was waiting on God’s
timing and not his.
Nehemiah patiently waited on the Lord for
directions; because it is “through faith
and patience” that we inherit the promises (Heb. 6:12). “Whoever believes will not be in haste.”
(Isa. 28:16). True faith in God brings a calmness to the heart that keeps us
from rushing about and trying to do in our own strength what only God can do.
We must know not only how to weep and
pray, but also how to wait and pray.[1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY
WITH ….
- We walk away this morning with the understanding that as important as it may be to humble ourselves and call on Jesus, we also need to be patient in our prayers as well. Don’t expected immediate results from our prayers but have faith that God hears them and will work according to His timetable.
APPLICATION:
In the wake
of this Olympic year I would like to share a fact in regard to the Olympics. In
English the Olympic motto reads: “Swifter, higher, stronger.”
Interestingly, the Bible also has
an Olympic text. It is Isaiah 40:31—“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and
not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”
Today, you may be getting ready to
spend some time in prayer and let God know of a request that you would love to
have answered immediately. Don’t approach the throne of God with that in mind.
Humble yourself and let God know that the request you have is his to do
accordingly. Just have faith.
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Determined.
“Be” Commentary Series (25). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
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