The king [Artaxerxes] said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and 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 where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
Nehemiah 2:4-5 (NIV)
In the past few weeks I’ve mentioned that I’m currently writing a book. I’ve been getting up at 5:00 a.m. every morning to write for at least an hour when my heart and mind are fresh. The process consumes a lot of my time and thought right now, so forgive me if it bleeds into my daily quiet time, meditations, and blogposts/podcasts.
The idea for this book struck me about 15 years ago. In fact it was ten or twelve years ago that I sat down and outlined the guts of the book in my journal while I was enjoying a pint at the local pub. There in my journal it sat for over a decade. I thought about it often. I prayed that I might have an opportunity to make it a reality. I even reached out to a few publishers over the years. Nothing flowed.
Earlier this year there was a major shift and transition in our business. Many things got realigned. During that period of time I had a random networking contact who happened to be a publisher. I can’t even describe how everything in life aligned. This was the moment. It’s finally happening. God’s timing is perfect.
In today’s chapter, it’s been months since Nehemiah got word about the dire situation in Jerusalem. He’s been grieving and praying. There’s not much that Nehemiah can do about Jerusalem. He’s the right-hand advisor to the Persian emperor. The job doesn’t come with vacation time or PTO. In fact, just having a bad hair day was not allowed in that role and in that culture. When King Artaxerxes notices that Nehemiah is downcast, it could have been a life-threatening moment. Instead, it was a moment of divine providence.
Nehemiah throws up a quick popcorn prayer and shoots straight with Artaxerxes about why his face is downcast. Artaxerxes could have had Nehemiah killed for presuming to lay his burdens on the emperor. The whole matter could have been simply dismissed and Nehemiah could have been instructed to change his attitude, or else. Instead, Artaxerxes asks Nehemiah what might be done about his ancestral home of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah makes an audacious request for time-off, letters of safe passage, and building materials required to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem. Artaxerxes agrees.
Along my life journey, I’ve learned that there is a certain flow to the story God is authoring in me. There is also a certain tension in trusting that story. If I’m passive and don’t prayerfully pay attention, then I totally miss out on what God’s doing. If I strive to try and make things happen, then I get in the way and muck up the works. When I pray, wait, and pay attention, trusting for God’s providence and timing, then at the right time everything flows.
Nehemiah is a great example of the same paradigm. He spent months praying about Jerusalem and what he might be able to do to help. He obviously had even been planning what he ideally might need and how he might go about the project if he was given the chance. Then, he waited. He trusted. God’s providence finally flowed and the planning kicked into gear.
In the quiet this morning, I’m reminded that on this journey I should never stop praying, never stop planning, and never stop paying attention. The hardest part is often waiting for God’s providence. But when it flows, and all the praying and planning fall into place, there’s no doubt that God is at work and I am in the midst of it.
If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.
