55-Days Devotional Journey - Day 28
June 28, 2025 (Saturday)
Scripture:
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me 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 of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
Nehemiah 2:1-8(ESV)
Reflection:
In these conversations between the king and Nehemiah, their emotions towards the situation are completely different. The king's concern reflected his close relationship with Nehemiah, but it did not mean that Nehemiah could relax; he needed to be cautious and open himself up, step by step, until he could finally reveal his plans to the king. Nehemiah was so worried about God’s city that he could not help but show it while serving the king. This could have gotten him beheaded. But it ended up becoming a great opportunity. The secret was that he kept praying silently in his heart. Prayer does not have to be formulaic. What matters is whether you care; and whether you are willing to rely on God wholeheartedly and follow His calling at any time. This is a sincere prayer, and only then can we be led step by step in the Holy Spirit. Think about why we might not experience the power of prayer? Why might we think that God doesn’t hear our prayers? We really need to ask ourselves, are you really concerned about what matters to the Lord? Are you ready and willing to say to the Lord: "Lord, may your will be done in me”?
Reflection Question:
Nehemiah asks the king for permission to rebuild the wall. Reflect on how God opens doors and gives us favor to carry out His work. How can we be ready to walk through those doors?
Prayer:
Lord! When we say that you are our Lord, but our hearts often focus on ourselves, without trying to understand you; and without making up our minds to follow you, our prayers become formalistic, just an action that Christians should do. We cannot devote ourselves to prayer because we do not have a heart that loves what the Lord loves and hates what the Lord hates; we do not practice godliness regularly; and we do not pray much for the kingdom of God. What we pray for only revolves around our own needs, we don’t understand what the Lord Jesus reminds us: "Seek Ye first his kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you." We ask you to forgive our selfishness and open our hearts to appreciate your gifts; to see your kingdom and what needs are there at this time and place. We also ask you to guide us step by step through our unceasing prayers on how to continue to take every step you lead for your name. Only then can we truly experience what Nehemiah said: "For the gracious hand of my God is on me," May we accomplish all your wonderful things in this short period of our lives.
In the name of the Lord we pray, Amen!
By Tracy Chan