I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah… so that I can rebuild it.” Nehemiah 2:5
…And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. Nehemiah 2:8b
These verses directly follow the whole-hearted prayer that Nehemiah spoke in chapter 1; and as you can see, his prayer was answered. Nehemiah became passionate about rebuilding the destroyed wall in Jerusalem, and He petitioned God for help. Not only does God answer Nehemiah’s prayer for his people, God also works a number of very specific blessings over the entire endeavor.
- He gained favor. (Nehemiah 2:1-8) Nehemiah had an extraordinary circumstance in which he was the cupbearer to the king. When the king saw that Nehemiah was down, he asked why that was. Nehemiah was able to outline all of the things that he desired and was given those things because “the gracious hand of God was upon” him. So his prayer was rewarded with favor. In our situations, a similar prayer could bring favor from our spouse or even from others who could influence our situation in a positive way.
- He gained provision. (vs. 8) Nehemiah asked for a letter from the king outlining a list of material goods that he needed to build a home for himself and to rebuild the wall. The king granted him this. Take a moment for that to sink in…. In essence, the king provided Nehemiah with a limitless credit card from his own private wallet in order to buy everything he needed to build this thing. That’s beyond impressive. Likewise, when we pray like Nehemiah prayed, God provides for us the things that we need.
- He traveled in safety. (vs. 9) The king sent Nehemiah out on his mission with the captains of the army to guard him. His prayer brought a surrounding of safety over his task. When we pray for our marriage, God provides protection over us as we stand. We do not go out into the unknown without protection from the enemy. We are not alone!
- He was given the authority to do the task at hand. (vs. 7) Not only was Nehemiah given everything that he needed as far as money, materials, protection, and overall favor went; he was given all of the authority that he needed in order to get the task done. At every boundary, he could whip out the papers to show that he was not to be stopped or held, but he could go forth in authority. In our marriages, we have authority over the enemy to bring restoration. The wall is destroyed, but we can begin the journey toward rebuilding that wall without fear of being stopped in our tracks or held back. It’s crucial to remember that if the enemy whispers that we don’t really have the authority to pray for our spouse, hope for reconciliation, or that we are not good enough to deserve a whole, godly marriage, we have the ‘paper’ right in our pocket that says we do!
Self-Reflection
Read over Nehemiah 2:1-9 and follow along with the many ways that God showed provision as a result of Nehemiah’s prayer.
Are you missing any of these types of provision?
What things can you pray for in your marriage or for yourself that you still need?