Daily Devotional

-June 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Praying Specifically For God’s Answers-

“O Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name; and let your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cup bearer.”

Nehemiah, like many other Jews was taken into captivity in Babylon. He rose to a prominent position there. He was the king’s cup bearer. Pharaoh in Egypt had a chief cup bearer, who along with the chief baker, and was thrown into prison where Joseph was being confined. If someone wanted to kill the king, the cup bearer or baker could certainly do it.

There were other Jews in the OT who occupied royal positions of great responsibility during this time: Mordecai, Esther, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abed-nego. Earlier there was Joseph also. God blessed and prospered them greatly.

Nehemiah was acutely aware that many Jews had returned to Israel after the seventy year captivity was completed. In accordance with the prophesy of Jeremiah, King Cyrus of Persia issued a proclamation ordering their return to rebuild the temple and occupy the land once again. God is always faithful in keeping His promises.

Nehemiah heard from a man named Hanani and others who had come from Judah who told him of the state of affairs there. Nehemiah 1:3 says,”And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and it’s gates are burned with fire.’” This greatly distressed and burdened Nehemiah’s heart. He began to weep, pray, and fast before the Lord. He knew he had to go there to help them, but he needed King Artaxerxes’ permission. Hence his specific prayer in today’s text. He asked God to be attentive to his prayer and the prayers of all those who fear the name of the Lord; and let him proper and have mercy in the eyes of the king. We see in Nehemiah chapter 2 how the king noticed how sad he was. He explained the situation to the king and requested a leave of absence to go to Israel, help out, and then return to the king and his position in an appointed time. God answered his prayer. The king not only granted his request but sent letters to the local officials and even ordered supplies for the work.

What a great answer to prayer. He prayed humbly and specifically; and God answered and did even more than he asked for. God hears and answers our prayers. The hymn writer Joseph M. Scriven wrote, “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

God blessed Nehemiah‘s efforts to encourage the Jews, provide great leadership, and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He and Jews were faced with great opposition, but with God’s help, finished the work in 52 days. Nehemiah 6:16 says, “And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they perceived that this work was done by our God.” Let us pray until the answer comes and until the victory is won!

Have a blessed day praying specifically and trusting God for His answers. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean