Monday, January 5, 2026
Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. Nehemiah 1:11
Yesterday Pastor Jim led us into a new sermon series called Abundant. The key truth for this series is God is an abundant God and calls His people to live out of His abundance for His glory and the good of others. God gives us abundance in him and expects us to live in that abundance. Some may believe that God’s abundance is not for them, but God’s abundance is for all his children.
God wanted abundance for the Israelites as well, even though they had been rebellious and spent many years in captivity. The people there were desperate and could not see his vision for their future.
Nehemiah was not a priest or a prophet, but he was in a divinely appointed position as cup bearer to the king. God placed Nehemiah in that position, serving the most powerful ruler in the world, to accomplish His will and purpose through him. Many years before he was born the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and taken many Jews captive. Nehemiah had been born in captivity in Babylon. His brother came to visit him and told him that his people who have returned from exile to Jerusalem in Judah are in a terrible state and that the city was in ruins. The wall around the city was a pile of rubble. When he heard this, Nehemiah’s heart was broken, and he turned to God immediately to pour out His heart before Him. He wept, fasted, prayed, and mourned for days. He appealed to God’s love, His covenant with His people, and His mercy. He knew that God is a loving, faithful, and compassionate Lord who does what is right. He pleaded for God’s attention in humility so that He would hear his prayers and answer.
A cupbearer to the King was a very prestigious position entrusted to only the most trustworthy person. In some instances, the cupbearer was the Kings’ right hand man. Nehemiah most likely enjoyed the best foods, great accommodations in the palace, and the esteem and respect of the king. But Nehemiah was burdened and had a vision. He petitioned the king to allow him to return to Jerusalem to lead his people in rebuilding the wall. The king said yes, and Nehemiah made two additional requests for letters for the governors and wood for rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah took a twelve-year leave of absence to carry out the vision God had placed on his heart.
When he prayed Nehemiah did not ask for the obvious. Although the city of Jerusalem is in ruins, the gates have been burned, and the walls have been reduced to rubble, that is not the focus of his prayer. He didn’t ask for some kind of miracle in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Instead he prayed for three things: 1) his prayer would be heard, 2) he would have success, and 3) he would have favor with the King.
God is a god of abundance and his abundance is for us. Nehemiah had abundant vision for Jerusalem. God gave him that vision and the passion to lead the people in Jerusalem in that vision.
How can we gain a God-sized vision for what He would have for us in the future?
Pray. Seek him. We can gain a God-sized vision for our future by surrendering our own vision and asking God for his abundant vision for our future.
What is God asking you to do that requires claiming his abundant vision and taking a step of faith?
