Favor

December 18, 2007

Nehemiah 2:7-8 JPS
(7) Moreover I said unto the king: 'If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah;
(8) and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's park, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.' And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah is really a quite interesting story. He was a man who worked as a wine taster for the king, not a job with a real future if you know what I mean. All it takes is one sip and you might be dead in the place of the king. He longed to be back home and to rebuild Jerusalem. Even though the king had come to rely on Nehemiah, and Nehemiah was well taken care of, he knew that he had a destiny that no one else couldfulfill . So he asked the King for help and the king gave it to him. What these verses do not show is that he prayed to God for favor before he asked. Not only could he go, but the king gave him stuff to rebuild the temple with.

Take time for a quick prayer to God before you try something. It may just help you make it through with favor.