- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 18,404
How to Accomplish Great Things (2)
'...If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight...' Nehemiah 2:5 NIV
Pray for favour with the right people. When you study the lives of successful people, you’ll find they had vision, patience, determination, character and talent. And you’ll also find one more thing at work—favour. There are some closed doors that will open when you approach them in faith, and there are other doors that’ll open only with help from the right people. That’s when you need favour!
Alex Haley, the author of Roots, had a picture in his office. It was of a turtle sitting on top of a tall fencepost, and the caption read, ‘You can be sure he didn't get up there by himself’! Nehemiah needed an army to protect him, and resources to enable him to build. So he prayed, then went to the one man who could provide what he needed: the king. He said, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.’ (Nehemiah 2:5 NIV) And the king did.
There’s an important lesson here: when your heart is set on promoting God’s kingdom, He will give you ‘kingdom connections’. But be careful; your help may not always come via the people you expect, agree with, or even like. God used a heathen king to help Nehemiah, and He used a penniless widow to feed the prophet Elijah. Don’t dictate to God who He can and cannot use. Just pray for favour, expect it, and accept it with thanks in whatever form He sends it.
written by Bob Gass
'...If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight...' Nehemiah 2:5 NIV
Pray for favour with the right people. When you study the lives of successful people, you’ll find they had vision, patience, determination, character and talent. And you’ll also find one more thing at work—favour. There are some closed doors that will open when you approach them in faith, and there are other doors that’ll open only with help from the right people. That’s when you need favour!
Alex Haley, the author of Roots, had a picture in his office. It was of a turtle sitting on top of a tall fencepost, and the caption read, ‘You can be sure he didn't get up there by himself’! Nehemiah needed an army to protect him, and resources to enable him to build. So he prayed, then went to the one man who could provide what he needed: the king. He said, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.’ (Nehemiah 2:5 NIV) And the king did.
There’s an important lesson here: when your heart is set on promoting God’s kingdom, He will give you ‘kingdom connections’. But be careful; your help may not always come via the people you expect, agree with, or even like. God used a heathen king to help Nehemiah, and He used a penniless widow to feed the prophet Elijah. Don’t dictate to God who He can and cannot use. Just pray for favour, expect it, and accept it with thanks in whatever form He sends it.
written by Bob Gass
