Word-Filled Wednesday ~#98~ None too Lowly

"'O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, Who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying . . . I confess the sins we . . . have committed against You . . . Remember . . . O LORD, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of this Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who delight in revering Your name. Give Your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.'

"I was cupbearer to the king." ~selected verses from Neh. 1:5-11

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth." ~1 Cor. 1:26

I am always encouraged that God chooses to use those of us who are not wise or influential or of noble birth to be His children and to carry on His mission to bring His Good News into this dark world, just like Nehemiah.

Nehemiah didn't know a book of God's holy word would be written by himself. He didn't know that God would use his faithfulness and obedience to rebuild the wall of the Temple, to help the poorest of the Jews in his day, to watch the exiled of Israel return to hear God's Law read to them for the first time in years and to once again worship in the Temple. Why would he, he was but a "lowly" cupbearer to the king?

And in many respects, so are we. We are "merely" simple people who go about our lives while we raise our families, work at our jobs and do the best we can to live in the grace and gratitude of the heavy price that was paid for our sins. But even though we are "lowly," we are privileged ~ like Nehemiah ~ to come into the presence of the King. And not just any ol' king, but THE King of Kings. And we don't have to clean up or go anywhere in order to come into His presence ~ we can come just as we are, just where we are. As we pray God's throne room comes to us. 

Just as Jesus taught us how to pray (Matt. 6:9-13), Nehemiah gave us a blueprint for prayer that is very similar ~ 

Nehemiah shows us that there are four basic parts to our prayers: 1) Praise (Neh. 1:5,6), 2) confession of sins (Neh. 1:6[b]), 3) remembrance of promises made (Neh.1:8), and 4) being specific in prayer (Neh. 1:11). 

Nehemiah not only outlined a great pattern for prayer, but in answer to his bold, specific prayer of faith, God answered this "lowly" cupbearer's prayer in ways and in such magnitude that he never would have imagined. Yes, all that from the faithful prayer of a "lowly" cupbearer to the king. Because by God's grace, NONE are too lowly.

I am not wise, not influential and I am not of noble birth ~ I am, in many ways, just like this lowly cupbearer. And I am standing before my God and asking for mighty things and asking to be used in mighty ways. Won't you join me?

Because by God's grace, we are none too lowly.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><