Scripture:
Nehemiah 2:1-11
And
it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,
that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the
king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to
me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but
sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. I said to the
king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the
city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been
consumed by fire?" Then the king said to me, "What would
you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the
king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before
you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild
it." Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him,
"How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it
pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. 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. Then I came to the governors of
the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the
king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. When
Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it,
it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of
the sons of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
Insights: The
first brick of character for our wall of faith was prayer. The second brick is preparation. In synopsis form, these are the truths we
have learned this week. One, changing a
heart is God’s speciality. Two, praying
and waiting go hand in hand. Three,
faith is NOT a synonym for disorder or a substitute for careful planning. Four, opposition is to be expected when God’s
will is carried out. Beloved, continue
to let God build your wall of faith!
Questions:
- How well are you handling the waiting game?
- Are you allowing your organization to help build your
faith?
Prayer: Father, thank
You that You are a God of order and not chaos.
Let my life be one of preparation and follow through. Amen.
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