NEHEMIAH 2
Nehemiah 1 ends with Nehemiah concerned and even heartbroken for the remnant of Judah and the condition of the city of Jerusalem. I'm loving this study in Nehemiah because there is so much practical application that we can find for today. Everything from the quick, spontaneous prayer for wisdom, to the very practical preparation and planning for a vision that you're not sure will come to fruition unless GOD works.
2 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before,
2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid,
3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”Then I prayed to the God of heaven,
5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
It's been four months since Nehemiah has gotten word of the condition of Jerusalem and the remnant of Judah. I have no doubt, that he has been praying for some kind of opportunity to mention this to the king, however, life happens. Let's be honest, when we're passionate about something, we're impatient. We want it to happen now, and I'm sure Nehemiah felt that way as well, however, God's timing can't be rushed. God is always in the background and honors preparation. What we see as inactivity, God sees as preparing the ground. In the time between that we think is inactivity, there may be a multitude of things happening in the lives of the people involved, in the events of the regions involved,and in the politics of the authorities involved. Nehemiah has no way of knowing this. He just knows that 4 months has gone by. The parallel for today is the same. We may have a passion for something, a desire for change, and want it to happen immediately, yet if we force it, or rush into it, without waiting for GOD,then we will miss out on something. God is preparing the way, he's preparing the ground for a victory. If Nehemiah had rushed into the king immediately and made the request, more then likely it would have been denied, and he would have missed out. I love how in Verse 4 when he is asked by the king what his request is, he spontaneously breathed a quick prayer. It wasn't a stop-what-I'm-doing-fall-on-my-knees prayer, it was a quick "ok, God, here goes, give me wisdom" and then he spoke his request. Sometimes that's all it takes, it's a momentary prayer before the big opportunity. AND it's in the moment God has ordained, that sometimes catches us by surprise.
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
These four verses show that Nehemiah didn't just speak whatever came to his mind and hope that the King would approve. He was prepared, he had a plan. He must have spent the past four months researching the issues, researching who would be his contacts, what supplies and resources he would need. When the king asked, even though he may have been surprised by the timing, Nehemiah had his facts, figures, and plans ready for the opportunity. Likewise, if God has placed something on our hearts today, then we must do the same thing. Instead of just saying "God will provide", (which HE will), make the plans, do the research of what you need, who you need to know, what needs to be done, and how long it's going to take. That way, when GOD's time is right, you'll be prepared for an answer to authority. GOD's timing is not random, if there is a wait time, the wait time should be used for preparation.
