Nehemiah, one of the Hebrew exiles, occupied a
position of influence and honor in the Persian court.
As cupbearer to the king he was admitted freely to the
royal presence. By virtue of his position, and because of his
abilities and fidelity, he had become the monarch's friend
and counselor. The recipient of royal favor, however, though
surrounded by pomp and splendor, did not forget his God
nor his people. With deepest interest his heart turned
toward Jerusalem; his hopes and joys were bound up with
her prosperity. Through this man, prepared by his residence
in the Persian court for the work to which he was to be
called, God purposed to bring blessing to His people in
the land of their fathers.
By messengers from Judea the Hebrew patriot learned
that days of trial had come to Jerusalem, the chosen city.
The returned exiles were suffering affliction and reproach.
The temple and portions of the city had been rebuilt; but
the work of restoration was hindered, the temple services
were disturbed, and the people kept in constant alarm by
the fact that the walls of the city were still largely in ruins.
Overwhelmed with sorrow, Nehemiah could neither eat
nor drink; he "wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted."
In his grief he turned to the divine Helper. "I . . . prayed,"
he said, "before the God of heaven." Faithfully he made
confession of his sins and the sins of his people. He pleaded
that God would maintain the cause of Israel, restore their
courage and strength, and help them to build up the waste
places of Judah.
As Nehemiah prayed, his faith and courage grew strong.
His mouth was filled with holy arguments. He pointed
to the dishonor that would be cast upon God, if His people,
now that they had returned to Him, should be left in weakness
and oppression; and he urged the Lord to bring to pass
His promise: "If ye turn unto Me, and keep My Commandments,
and do them; though there were of you cast out
unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them
from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have
chosen to set My name there." See Deuteronomy 4:29-31.
This promise had been given to Israel through Moses before
they had entered Canaan, and during the centuries it had
stood unchanged. God's people had now returned to Him
in penitence and faith, and His promise would not fail.
Nehemiah had often poured out his soul in behalf of
his people. But now as he prayed a holy purpose formed in
his mind. He resolved that if he could obtain the consent
of the king, and the necessary aid in procuring implements
and material, he would himself undertake the task of
rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and restoring Israel's national
strength. And he asked the Lord to grant him favor in the
sight of the king, that this plan might be carried out.
"Prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day," he entreated,
"and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."
Four months Nehemiah waited for a favorable opportunity
to present his request to the king. During this time,
though his heart was heavy with grief, he endeavored to
bear himself with cheerfulness in the royal presence. In
those halls of luxury and splendor all must appear
light-hearted and happy. Distress must not cast its shadow over
the countenance of any attendant of royalty. But in Nehemiah's
seasons of retirement, concealed from human sight,
many were the prayers, the confessions, the tears, heard and
witnessed by God and angels.
At length the sorrow that burdened the patriot's heart
could no longer be concealed. Sleepless nights and care-filled
days left their trace upon his countenance. The king, jealous
for his own safety, was accustomed to read countenances
and to penetrate disguises, and he saw that some secret trouble
was preying upon his cupbearer. "Why is thy countenance
sad," he inquired, "seeing thou art not sick? this is
nothing else but sorrow of heart."
The question filled Nehemiah with apprehension. Would
not the king be angry to hear that while outwardly engaged
in his service, the courtier's thoughts had been far away with
his afflicted people? Would not the offender's life be
forfeited? His cherished plan for restoring the strength of
Jerusalem--was it about to be overthrown? "Then," he
writes, "I was very sore afraid." With trembling lips and
tearful eyes he revealed the cause of his sorrow. "Let the
king live forever," he answered. "Why should not my
countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers'
sepulchers, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed
with fire?"
The recital of the condition of Jerusalem awakened the
sympathy of the monarch without arousing his prejudices.
Another question gave the opportunity for which Nehemiah
had long waited: "For what dost thou make request?" But
the man of God did not venture to reply till he had sought
direction from One higher than Artaxerxes. He had a
sacred trust to fulfill, in which he required help from the
king; and he realized that much depended upon his presenting
the matter in such a way as to win his approval and
enlist his aid. "I prayed," he said, "to the God of heaven."
In that brief prayer Nehemiah pressed into the presence
of the King of kings and won to his side a power that can
turn hearts as the rivers of waters are turned.
To pray as Nehemiah prayed in his hour of need is a
resource at the command of the Christian under circumstances
when other forms of prayer may be impossible.
Toilers in the busy walks of life, crowded and almost
overwhelmed with perplexity, can send up a petition to God
for divine guidance. Travelers by sea and land, when
threatened with some great danger, can thus commit themselves
to Heaven's protection. In times of sudden difficulty
or peril the heart may send up its cry for help to One who
has pledged Himself to come to the aid of His faithful,
believing ones whenever they call upon Him. In every
circumstance, under every condition, the soul weighed down
with grief and care, or fiercely assailed by temptation, may
find assurance, support, and succor in the unfailing love and
power of a covenant-keeping God.
Nehemiah, in that brief moment of prayer to the King
of kings, gathered courage to tell Artaxerxes of his desire
to be released for a time from his duties at the court, and
he asked for authority to build up the waste places of Jerusalem
and to make it once more a strong and defensed city.
Momentous results to the Jewish nation hung upon this
request. "And," Nehemiah declares, "the king granted me,
according to the good hand of my God upon me."
Having secured the help he sought, Nehemiah with
prudence and forethought proceeded to make the arrangements
necessary to ensure the success of the enterprise. He
neglected no precaution that would tend to its accomplishment.
Not even to his own countrymen did he reveal his
purpose. While he knew that many would rejoice in his
success, he feared that some, by acts of indiscretion, might
arouse the jealousy of their enemies and perhaps bring
about the defeat of the undertaking.
His request to the king had been so favorably received
that Nehemiah was encouraged to ask for still further
assistance. To give dignity and authority to his mission, as
well as to provide protection on the journey, he asked for
and secured a military escort. He obtained royal letters to
the governors of the provinces beyond the Euphrates, the
territory through which he must pass on his way to Judea;
and he obtained, also, a letter to the keeper of the king's
forest in the mountains of Lebanon, directing him to furnish
such timber as would be needed. That there might be no
occasion for complaint that he had exceeded his commission,
Nehemiah was careful to have the authority and privileges
accorded him, clearly defined.
This example of wise forethought and resolute action
should be a lesson to all Christians. God's children are not
only to pray in faith, but to work with diligent and provident
care. They encounter many difficulties and often hinder
the working of Providence in their behalf, because they
regard prudence and painstaking effort as having little to
do with religion. Nehemiah did not regard his duty done
when he had wept and prayed before the Lord. He united
his petitions with holy endeavor, putting forth earnest,
prayerful efforts for the success of the enterprise in which
he was engaged. Careful consideration and well-matured
plans are as essential to the carrying forward of sacred enterprises
today as in the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's
walls.
Nehemiah did not depend upon uncertainty. The means
that he lacked he solicited from those who were able to
bestow. And the Lord is still willing to move upon the
hearts of those in possession of His goods, in behalf of the
cause of truth. Those who labor for Him are to avail
themselves of the help that He prompts men to give.
These gifts may open ways by which the light of truth shall
go to many benighted lands. The donors may have no faith
in Christ, no acquaintance with His word; but their gifts
are not on this account to be refused.