Nehemiah 2:1-8
We are going to see so many good character traits in Nehemiah. We saw, in chapter one, his heart for people and his humility.
Now, we see his prayerfulness, his planning, and his preparedness.
👉 Nehemiah’s Prayerfulness
In the month of Nisan, Nehemiah approached the king (v 1). This is four months after the month of Chislev mentioned in Nehemiah 1:1.
What we see is that Nehemiah heard this terrible news concerning the people of Israel and he didn’t act impulsively. He prayed – a lot.
Then, when it’s actually time to speak to the king, great fear came over him (v 2). His response to this fear wasn’t to back down but to pray some more (v 4).
👉 Nehemiah’s Planning
After four months of prayer, Nehemiah had a plan in place. He was going to rebuild what was broken in Jerusalem (v 5).
He was going to build (v 8 ):
• the gates of the fortress
• the wall of the city
• a house for himself
👉 Nehemiah’s Preparedness
Nehemiah approached the king knowing exactly what he needed.
• permission to go to Judah for the purpose of rebuilding (v 5)
• letters to the governors of the provinces he would pass through guaranteeing safe travel (v 7)
• timber from the king’s own forest to use in the rebuilding (v 8 )
👉 Four months – it must have seemed like a long time to the people of Israel as they lived in great trouble and shame (v 1:3).
But, behind the scenes, God was at work. Nehemiah was praying, planning, and preparing.
Don’t give up. Though the fire is fierce and the sky seems silent. You never know when someone is praying, planning, preparing.
God is always at work.
