Nehemiah 2:5

Nehemiah 2:5 says, And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.  After the king asked Nehemiah what his request was, he first prayed, as the last verse stated. If we are to make wise choices today as followers of Christ, when asked what we want or just when deciding what we want ourselves, we would be wise to talk to God first.  Then, Nehemiah asked that if he had found favor with the king that allow him to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it.  If our Christian life has been falling apart, we need to ask God to help us rebuild it.  As followers of Christ, we have already found favor with Him.  

Verse six adds, And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.  The king, with the queen by his side, wanted to know how long Nehemiah would be gone, so he set a date for when he would return. The king allowed him to go.  We are not told how long he set the time for, but we know from chapter five, verse fourteen that Nehemiah presided there for twelve years at least.  Matthew Henry points out that it is unclear if he kept extending the time or went back and forth during that period.  I can say that if we are rebuilding our life of faith after it has been torn down that it is a lifelong commitment.

Verse seven continues, Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;  Nehemiah also asked for letters to the governors beyond the Jordan instructing them to help Nehemiah on his journey.  We don’t need letters to get support spiritually, because we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times. 

Verse eight concludes, And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.  Nehemiah also asked for a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, instructing him to provide Nehemiah with timber to rebuild the city.  Though Nehemiah was asking the king for these things, it was after he had prayed about it, so I believe that God was behind his requests, and Nehemiah had to have faith that God would answer his prayers.  Nehemiah gave God the credit for all this being granted by the king.  For this to happen, Nehemiah had to put his life in God’s hands, and so must we.  The only way we can do that is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.