Seeds for 09/04/2024 - Nehemiah 2:6
Scripture:
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
Observation:
The king is supportive of Nehemiah and his vision in two ways in this verse.
First, by asking more about his vision and project, assuming that he will pursue it. Second, by allowing Nehemiah to do it.
A compelling vision can be both durable and vulnerable simultaneously. The king’s support of Nehemiah’s vision is the kind that helps promote durability rather than weakness.
We all benefit from someone asking the questions that help us make our visions practical realities. We all benefit when someone with the authority to grant permission does so. This can be in an organizational setting, one in which we need an official “okay” in order to move forward. But it can also be in the realm of the personal, when actualizing the vision is something fully within our own agency. Just the same, the support and even permission of a friend, family member, mentor, or colleague can make a huge difference.
Theologically, this passage displays a sovereign working of God in the heart of the king to allow and support Nehemiah’s work.
Perhaps God would work in our hearts as well, whether we are Nehemiahs pursuing a vision or the king supporting someone else’s vision.
Application:
When have you had opportunities to support someone in pursuit of their vision or calling?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you those in my life who have supported me in pursuit of a godly vision. Show me where and how I might support someone as they pursue what you have placed on their heart. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
If you liked this post from Seeds of Faith, why not share it and/or subscribe?
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™