Knowing What You Really Want
The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Nehemiah 2:4 (NIV)
I've been re-reading the Old Testament in preparation for teaching a series on Romans in the fall. This weekend I re-read the book of Nehemiah, one of my favorite Old Testament books. I am always moved each time I come to today's verse. Set in its historical context, Nehemiah is cup-bearer to a pagan king, living in exile in a foreign land about 450 years before the birth of Christ. Despite his exile hundreds of miles from his home, Nehemiah heard a report that Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, remained in ruins. Nehemiah fasted and wept for days, not just over the city ruins, but over Israel's corporate sin and exile. In his grief, Nehemiah begs God to remember his covenant with Israel and to grant him favor with his master, King Artaxerxes. In today's verse, the pagan king notices Nehemiah's sadness and asks "What is it you want?"
When the king asked that question, Nehemiah prayed a quick silent prayer before he answered the king. When he replied, Nehemiah knew exactly what he wanted: permission to rebuild Jerusalem, letters of passage, and some timber for rebuilding the city. The king granted those requests and even threw in an armed cavalry escort to boot.
I'm challenged as I consider:
Nehemiah's willingness to even ask for permission to go and rebuild the ruined city. Why leave the comfort of the palace to rebuild a city that has been in ruins for over 100 years?
His laser focus on main priorities - He kept the main thing, the main thing: permission to go, passage for the trip, and supplies to build
His dependence and reliance on God as evidenced in his quick silent prayer before answering the king
His immediate response - He had no hesitation; he knew what he wanted.
Nehemiah knew what to ask for when faced with the king's "what is it you want?" question. We serve a heavenly king who is truly the King of kings. When He asks, "What is it you want?", how should we respond? Could we, like Nehemiah, respond with no hesitation; keep the main thing, the main thing; and ask for the necessary resources to build, not our own kingdom, but God's kingdom? Since my last Bible Bits post, I've had multiple requests for my prayer calendar "31 Ways to Pray for Your Children and Grandchildren." I'm attaching a copy to today's post. As important as the daily prayers and corresponding verses are, I believe the ten Prayer Principles listed on the back of the brochure are even more so. We'll highlight those in our next Bible Bits post, but I want to leave you today with Prayer Principle # 3 which is my personal favorite:
At a minimum, when praying for our children and grandchildren, let's ask God to make them:
A child of the King (salvation)
A credit to the Kingdom (character and conduct)
A servant of the King (service)
Oh that we and our families would bring God "renown, joy, praise, and honor before all nations on the earth" (Jeremiah 33:9). Pray for children of the King who bring credit to the Kingdom and live lives for the good of others and the glory of God.