The year was about 455 B.C. The place was Shushan in the land of Persia. Some eighty years
previously, the first company of Jews had returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon.
But some of the Jews still remained in the land of their captivity. One of these was a man by the
name of Nehemiah who was a servant of Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. Now in spite of
Nehemiah’s position, the Lord was working to open the way for him to return to Jerusalem so that
he might provide leadership in rebuilding the walls of the Jews’ beloved city. The story of how
Nehemiah found favor in the sight of the king is an interesting one and gives some good
illustrations of how God answers prayer. Let us read Nehemiah’s own account:
It came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that
Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the
Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said
unto me, "The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and
reproach:the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire."
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain
days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, . . . "O Lord, I beseech thee,
let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who
desire to fear thy name:and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the
sight of this man." For I was the king’s cupbearer.
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine
was before him:and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime
sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, "Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou
art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart."
Then I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king, "Let the king live for ever: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?"
Then the king said unto me, "For what dost thou make request?"
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
And I said unto the king, "If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight,
that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchers, that I may build
it."
And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him), "For how long shall thy journey be?
And when wilt thou re-turn?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
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 convey me over till I come into Judah; and a letter unto Asaph
the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the
palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the bouse that I shall
enter into." And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me (Nehemiah
1:1-4; 1:11-2:8).
It is very interesting to observe the way in which God brought about the accomplishment of
Nehemiah’s desire. Four months had passed since he had offered the prayer recorded in chapter
1. He is careful to give us the dates. In the month Chisleu (answering to our November) he had
prayed; and in the month Nisan (answering to our March) the answer came. During this period,
this man of faith must have waited in daily expectation upon God. He could not foresee how the
answer would come, but he knew that God could intervene when and how He would. It is in this
way God both tries and strengthens the faith of His people. He waits while they wait. But if He
waits, it is only to work out in His people more entire dependence upon Himself, and thus to
prepare their hearts more fully for the blessing He is about to bestow. And when He steps in, it
is often, as in this case, in such a quiet and unseen way_unseen by all but the eye of faith_that
it needs the exercise of faith to detect His presence. How natural, on the surface, is the way in
which Artaxerxes was induced to give Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem. But it must
be remembered that Nehemiah had prayed that God would grant him mercy in the sight of the
king. Let us examine this scene in detail.
At the beginning of chapter 2 we find Nehemiah occupied with the duties of his office as the
king’s cupbearer. He took up the wine and gave it unto the king; but his heart was occupied with
other things, for he was burdened with the unutterable sorrow of his people’s condition. But wine
and sadness are incongruous, and it was intolerable to the king that his cupbearer should wear a
sorrowful face at such a time. It destroyed his own pleasure. The king became angry and asked
Nehemiah why he looked sad. This made Nehemiah very much afraid. And well might he have
been afraid, for in such a mood, Artaxerxes, as a true oriental despot, could have had him
immediately executed. But although Nehemiah was afraid, God gave him presence of mind, and
led him to tell simply and truly the cause of his sorrow.
The king was well acquainted with the subject of Nehemiah’s sorrow, for it was he who had
permitted Ezra to go up to build the temple, and had himself given gold and silver to aid Ezra in
that work. So God used Nehemiah’s simple words to interest the king once more in the condition
of Jerusalem. The king then asked Nehemiah if he could help him out in any way. What an
opportunity! What an answer to prayer! Surely most men would have hastened to answer the king.
But note what Nehemiah did. First he prayed to God, and then he presented his petition. Are we
to conclude that he kept the king waiting while he prayed? By no means. But the point to be
observed is that before he answered his master he cast himself upon his God. He thus
acknowledged his dependence for wisdom to say the right thing. How we should seek to be like
Nehemiah in this way! Surely it is blessed to be so walking in dependence on God that when we
face difficulties, perplexities and dangers, we naturally look to the Lord for the needed wisdom,
direction and help. When this is the case, the presence of God will be more real to us than the
presence of men. It is wonderful to notice the boldness which God gave to Nehemiah as he stood
before the king. He did not stop with asking permission to return to Judah. He further requested
letters from the king to assure him of a safe journey to Jerusalem and also to provide him with
building materials which would be needed once he got to Jerusalem. And the king granted him all
that he requested, according to the good hand of God. Nehemiah had poured out before God the
desires of his heart (desires which God Himself had produced); then he had looked to God for
guidance and strength when in the presence of the king; and God now showed that He had
undertaken for His servant by inclining the king to grant all that was necessary for the
accomplishment of the work. And Nehemiah acknowledged this, saying that it was "according to
the good hand of my God upon me."
It is well for us to mark this principle in the ways of God with His people. If He puts within our
hearts a desire for any service_a service for His glory_He will surely open out before us the way
to it. If it be really His work on which our minds are set, He will enable us to do it in His own
way and time. The door may seem to be closed and barred; but if we wait on Him who "openeth,
and no man shutteth" (Rev. 3:7), we shall find that it will suddenly open to us, so that we may
enter in without hindrance. There could be no more difficult position than that in which Nehemiah
found himself. But the Lord who had touched his heart with the affliction of His people removed
all obstacles and set him free for his labor of love in Jerusalem. "Wait on the Lord:be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart:wait, I say, on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).