The Favor of God

Nehemiah enjoyed the favor of God upon his life. That is the only way we can account for the incredible things he accomplished in such a brief period.

The Favor of God

"And the king granted them to me
according to the good hand of my God upon me."

(Nehemiah 2:8)

Nehemiah enjoyed the favor and blessing of God upon his life. That is the only way we can account for the incredible things he accomplished in such a brief period. (He rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem in only 52 days!) Nehemiah attributes his success and blessings to God when he writes, "And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me."

Nehemiah's story is so inspiring. I am currently preaching a series of messages on the Book of Nehemiah entitled, "Rise and Build." I have preached through Nehemiah a couple of times, and I am always blessed and inspired by this man and his zeal for God.

Some of you reading this devotional today are heavy-hearted and lacking in courage and faith. But I believe that is about to change. Reflecting on the truths of Scripture will lighten your load considerably and cause you to overflow with courage and faith. Some of you have some tasks that you need to get going with. No more delays. God has spoken. You know (like Nehemiah knew) what you need to do. Now is the time to get it done. Your assignment from God may not be like Nehemiah's, which was to rebuild the shattered wall around Jerusalem, but it will be an exhilarating ride. Troubles will come, but the God who calls you to it will see you through it. God always provides what He orchestrates, motivates, and dictates.

Nehemiah 2:6-10 is the context for our primary verse today. Take a minute and read it below:

"Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), 'How long will your journey be? And when will you return?' So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, 'If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.' And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel."

Tomorrow, I will share some lessons and practical pointers from this biblical text.

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Podcast of the Week

Interview with Evangelist Ronnie Hill

Pastor Danny welcomes to the show his friend Ronnie Hill, a traveling evangelist who has preached at Great Hills Baptist Church and countless other churches many times over the years. Ronnie shares his testimony and those of his family members and talks about his life in ministry.

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