A Brave Request and the Night Inspection

Nehemiah was still cupbearer in the Persian palace, but his heart had already flown back to Jerusalem. For several days, even as he carried the cup, his brow stayed knotted. King Artaxerxes looked at Nehemiah's face and gently asked, "You are not sick. Why is your face so sad?" Nehemiah's heart tightened — this was a life-and-death request! In his heart he quickly prayed to the God of heaven, then made a brave choice: tell the king the truth. "The city of my fathers' tombs lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Please send me back to rebuild." The king not only agreed but also gave him letters of safe passage, and ordered Asaph the keeper of the king's forest to give him timber. All of this happened because "the good hand of God" was on him. Nehemiah traveled over mountains and rivers and finally reached Jerusalem. He did not gather the people right away. Instead, at night, with only a few trusted men and his own animal, he rode along the broken wall and inspected it in the dark. Under the moonlight he quietly surveyed every charred gate and every collapsed stone, and in his heart he made his decision to build. After three days, he called the people together and said, "See how the good hand of God helped me, and how the king answered my request. Come, let us rise up and build!" The people answered with one voice, "Let us rise up and build!" And they strengthened their hands for this good work. This story tells us: courage is not the absence of fear, but making the right choice with God beside us; careful inspection plus God's grace plus a brave decision can turn the hardest work into the most beautiful blessing.