Daily Devotions – God’s Favor

Daily Devotions – God’s Favor

Nehemiah 2:1-10 (ESV)

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

2 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. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls

9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

In this passage, after Nehemiah has requested God’s favor to be upon him, he acts! He does not simply pray and do nothing. He asks KingArtexerxes to allow him to return home and help in the rebuilding process. He even has the courage to ask the king to give him resources and personnel. All through this conversation Nehemiah is also having another conversation: he is in constant prayer (see v. 4). While the story seems to be focusing on Nehemiah, these details show that the story is really about God. God is always with Nehemiah, graciously giving him favor in the eyes of the king and giving him courage and strength. This is something we can remember the next time we are in a situation filled with stress and anxiety. We can trust that God is with us and seek him in prayer at any moment