The Progress Surrounding Nehemiah’s Preparation: Planning with Wise Guidance

Scripture: Nehemiah 2:7-8

And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 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 which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go." And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.

Insights: In today’s verses we see Nehemiah’s expansion of his preparation plans.  Yesterday we saw the king gave him permission to be gone.  After the conversation appears to be over, Nehemiah steps back up and says (in Scott’s vernacular), “Oh, by the way king, considering you are letting me go and build the wall, do you think you could send me with some letters to the governors and to Asaph so I could get some lumber?”  I titled today’s Thoughts by Scott as Planning with Wise Guidance.  I did this because Nehemiah was only capable of thinking up all the details he was going to have to perform because God opened his mind.  We know this to be true because Nehemiah acknowledged the reason the king granted him favor and success was because God’s good hand was on him.  Think of it this way, if God had not given him the wise guidance to ask for those letters, then the first time he came to an official outside of Susa he would have been sent back.  The official would have said, “Papers?”  Nehemiah responded, “Papers, what papers, I am going to Jerusalem by faith.”  The official would have said, “Not without papers you are not,” and Nehemiah would have been sent back.  Because God, however, gave him the guidance he was able to ask for those provisions in advance.  So, what really happened when he got to that first official was, “Papers?”  Nehemiah responded, “Here they are.”  The official, “Have a nice trip.”  Beloved, before we attempt to do great things for God, we need to have God give us wise guidance and let Him plan our steps through the preparation process.

Questions:

1. Is God’s good hand presently on you?
2. For what assignment are you presently preparing in order to be obedient to God?

Prayer: Lord, let Your favor be on me.  Bless the work You have called me to and grant me the courage to faithfully obey You no matter what obstacles may come.  May You be glorified as a result of my obedience.  Amen.