Trust God; ask the king.

And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Nehemiah 2:8b

As a leader, Nehemiah demonstrated both faith and common sense wisdom in the initial planning stages of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He went to the Persian king (his employer) carefully with his proposal, and was granted complete royal backing for the project. But that is not what was behind his success. He had carefully organized the details while simultaneously trusting God to help them happen.

Nehemiah asked the king for all the funding, security details, and requisition of materials that the returning exiles would need to get the job done. He knew what to ask for and how to ask for it with proper royal decorum and respect. He knew that for Jerusalem’s walls to be rebuilt, Persia’s king would be able to finance and protect the work as well as the people doing it. Nehemiah wisely asked the king for everything that he needed. And the Persian government backed the entire proposal.

Nehemiah was wise enough to ask the king, yet humble enough to worship God, knowing that the only reason he was favored by the throne was because God’s good hand was clearly sovereignly working. He took no credit for what God was doing. He demonstrated proper planning as well as strategic asking, but was also passionate in trusting God as he worshiped in his work.

So it is with much of life. It is lived at the intersection of temporal need, earthly resources that can meet those needs, and eternal providence that radically changes the significance of what we do in this life. All my plans need to blend my “now needs” with faithful trust in the good hand of my God. God’s Word shows me this. Fortune is always brought about and blessed by faith.