Nehemiah 2:1-8 (English Standard Version)

Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

1In the month of Nisan,^(A) in the twentieth year of King^(B) Artaxerxes, when wine was before him,^(C) I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but^(D) sadness of the heart." Then I was very much afraid. 3I said to the king,^(E) "Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad,^(F) when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" 4Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed^(G) to the God of heaven. 5And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it." 6And the king said to me (^(H) the queen sitting beside him), "How long will you be gone, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me^(I) when I had given him a time. 7And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me^(J) to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of^(K) the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy." And the king granted me what I asked,^(L) for the good hand of my God was upon me.

I can't imagine the way Nehemiah felt when he was before the king. I'm sure in one sense he was scared to death. On the other hand, he knew what God wanted him to do and was willing to do whatever it took to obey. I need to have that kind of spirit. A lot of times, it's easy to get distracted from doing what God wants because it's hard or doing my own thing is easier. I've got to be willing to obey God even when it's hard.