Fifty-Two Days in Nehemiah (Day 6)

Day 6

I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king sad to me, “What are you requesting?”

Nehemiah 2:3-4

There is an old idiom that says, “Opportunity knocks but once.” While we may take issue with the idea that opportunity is so fleeting, we can certainly agree with the sense of urgency in which we must approach certain things.

Nehemiah has been praying for four months seeking God’s will. He desires to return to Jerusalem and do something about the wall, but the king has already stopped the rebuilding of the wall because he felt Jerusalem was rebellious.

In the midst of his waiting, Nehemiah is given an opportunity. When the king asks Nehemiah what is bothering him, he had a choice; he could either play it safe or he could come clean. Nehemiah decides to take the risk and tell the truth. In so doing, we see Nehemiah use wisdom and care with his answer. Wisdom in that he does not mention the city by name and risk upsetting the king. Care in that he plays to something, “the city of my fathers’ graves,” that the king would be sympathetic toward.

We, like Nehemiah, never know when opportunity is going to present itself. However, again like Nehemiah, we need to be prepared. Whether it is an individual that we need to talk to, or a conversation we need to have with our boss, or a friend that we need to challenge – we must be ready when God opens the door.

Nehemiah’s preparedness came from one place, he had been a man of prayer. Make room for uninterrupted prayer in your life.