Rebuilding the Wall - Favour & Success

Our lives are lived in containers or compartments. We try to live up to expectations set by society for each and navigate demands for motherhood and womanhood. The drive to succeed in all these areas is what makes us get up in the morning. We all desire to be successful; to do better. We want to be a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, be better at our careers. That is human nature. I believe it’s a God ordained purpose to ‘Go and multiply’.

Nehemiah was quite successful in his job. Surviving captivity did not prevent him from exceling. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king, King Artaxerxes. The footnote in my Bible says that this position was a high position in the king’s court. The king trusted him with his life because sometimes he would drink the wine first to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. He was a ‘trusted confidant’ and it was a position of ‘great influence’ (Amplified Bible, Nehemiah 1:11) Nehemiah was happy or at least content.

But all was not well. He couldn't keep the compartments separate. You see, the king noticed that he was looking terribly sad. He asked Nehemiah, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.’ (Nehemiah 2:2) Have you ever felt like Nehemiah? Everything seems to be going well but for some reason you can’t seem to find your smile. Or, there is something weighing so heavy on you that you can’t isolate it from the rest of your life; it kind of just takes over everything. I know, I have. I’ve had to walk through quite a few difficult things in my life and yes, it took on a life of its own. It completely stole my joy. We’ve all been there. I’m sure as you’re reading this, you’re either going through something similar or have just been through something similar. 

Let's, rewind to the previous chapter, and we'll see exactly why Nehemiah seems so lost in thought. Remember, he got news of the survivors in Jerusalem; the fact that they were in ‘distress’ and that the walls were in ruin. His first response was one of seeking God’s face, “Lord, remember your people. Remember your promise.’ Now, I don’t know about you, but that sounds very familiar to me. Many times, with my face to the ground, I’ve prayed this very same prayer, “Lord, remember me. Remember your promise.”

Nehemiah prays, ‘Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’

Many of us are sitting with broken pieces scattered around and like I said before, we hide it well. The pursuit of success, the urge to live up to peoples perceptions or even your own perceptions, comes up short. Like Nehemiah, we try and continue with life as we know it, but there comes a time when we cannot hide it anymore. It starts affecting everything and no compartment of life is immune to its influence. But you see, Nehemiah knew that he was not without hope because God promised to gather them back together. That promise is for you and I; God will pick up the pieces and help us put it all back together again, even better than before. 

So, besides acknowledging God’s part in the matter, Nehemiah knows it’s going to take courage and effort on his part. So, he prays for success; he says, ‘…make your servant successful this day’ (verse11). I think that’s a great prayer to pray every day but especially when there’s something going on. Living takes courage and making decisions are hard. No matter what phase of life we’re in, we need God’s help. Success that is God driven and God inspired seems to me more satisfying and rewarding. And, Nehemiah wasn’t wanting success in only being a cupbearer, he wanted success in a seemingly impossible task. He knew it would take the favour of the Lord to make a way - to rebuild the walls.  

So, when he got his moment in front of the king, he spoke up with boldness. It’s obvious that he still had the issue on his mind, but when the time came, he remembered his prayer, ‘Lord, make me successful and give me favour.’ And, besides the fear and sadness, he spoke up and took a leap of faith. He had no guarantee of the king’s support, but that didn’t matter. 

I think, a lot of times we just don’t know where to start. Ok, we know all is not well, and it’s unsettling, but what do we do about it? Nehemiah sets such a great example: remember the promises of the Lord; take it to Him, ask for success and favour, and take the leap of faith. Here we are together on this journey. Crisis or not, we all have broken walls that need rebuilding. Take courage this week and let’s follow Nehemiah’s example. Don't let the pressures of society determine how successful you are. The success with its source in God, has a much greater reward. I pray for your success and the favour of the Lord to show up in your life at the right moment in time.

💖Always

Leazille

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Once again, thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you today.