Kingdom of God - 2

Kingdom of God - 2

Nehemiah 1:1  “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,”

                In the above passage we see Nehemiah is in the palace called Shushan. Needless to say that Shushan palace was a beautiful and a royal one to stay.  It is true that Lord himself had placed Nehemiah in the comforting palace according to his will and also Nehemiah was prepared for the other plans. As we read in Proverbs 21:1 ‘The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.’ The Lord God changes the plans and made Nehemiah to depart from palace to establish the kingdom of God. Today let us discuss how and what made Nehemiah to depart from the palace to do the will of the Lord.

The encounter of Hanani

Nehemiah 1:2 ‘That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.’

                In the above passage we read about the brother of Nehemiah, Hanani.  Even the bible scholars have confirmed that Hanani is the blood brother of Nehemiah. We see Nehemiah was burdened by his brothers. Even in our lives, few encounters with certain people will change our lives. In the passage, we read that Nehemiah enquires about the escaped Jews from captivity and also about Jerusalem. In Nehemiah 1:3 ‘And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.’ When Hanani met his brother, he spoke about the afflictions that the people are going through.  As soon as Nehemiah he gets to know that the walls are broken down and the gates are set on fire, he decides to leave everything and leave the palace.  We read in Nehemiah 2:3 ‘And said unto the king, Let the king live forever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?’  The encounter of Hanani brings a spiritual sorrow and burden to Nehemiah. It urged Nehemiah to do something about the destructions that are happening around him.

When Nehemiah met his brothers, he did not speak unwanted things.  We see Nehemiah focused only on the spiritual information. Even in our lives, when we meet someone we should speak only good things and should not give room for any unnecessary things.  Currently, we are surrounded by a lot of calamities and negativities in the world. Are we burdened? Are we praying with supplication?  It is our responsibility to submit ourselves in the kingdom of God and pray for the wellness of the world.

Prayer

Nehemiah 1:4 ‘And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,’

                In the above passage we see that Nehemiah prayed after being burdened heavily concerning his people. When we are burdened, we should not be stressed. Nehemiah started to fast and prayed before the God of heaven. The prayer of Nehemiah has brought fruitful results to Nehemiah. Prayer is the only place where we can unload all our burdens. When we do so, the divine peace will rule our lives. As the Lord God answered the prayer of Hannah swiftly, so will our prayers be answered. In I Peter 5:7 ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ Our burdens will overcome us when we keep them but when we transfer it to God, he will overcome it. Let us all cat our burdens to the Lord.  Even in our lives, it is imperative that we all should pray for the normalcy of the entire world.

Way

Nehemiah 2:2 “Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,”

Nehemiah 2:6 “And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.”

In the above passage, we see the King enquires Nehemiah if something is wrong with him. The King clearly finds out that Nehemiah was down due to the sorrow of heart. The King is making Nehemiah to vent out his inner feelings. All these while Nehemiah was praying for the afflictions of the people and carries a sad face. The Lord God looks into Nehemiah and opens a new way for him. The Lord makes the King himself enquire on the well-being of Nehemiah. When he was questioned, Nehemiah admits what was going inside his mind without hiding anything (Nehemiah 2:3-4).  In verse six, we see the queen was also sitting by him. The prayer of Nehemiah made the King and queen to approve his departure from the palace.  Even in our lives, our prayers can pave a new way.

Help

Nehemiah 2:8 “And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

                In the above verse, we see the King accepted Nehemiah’s request. A gentile King sends help to Nehemiah to fulfill the purpose of the Lord’s kingdom.  In the verse we can read ‘the good hand of my God’ was with Nehemiah.  In Nehemiah 2:10 ‘When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.’  The enemies of Nehemiah were depressed and disturbed on witnessing the blessings of Nehemiah.  The Lord God exalted Nehemiah in front of his enemies. As we read in Psalm 23:5 ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:’ Even in our lives, the Lord God will exalt us before the eyes of our enemies. When the kingdom of God has come, the other kingdoms of Satan will perish.

Therefore, let us all pray that we should increase our time of prayer to obtain the new ways and new helps from the hands of the Lord. Let us all be instrumental in establishing the kingdom of God. Amen.