“Grant me success today.”
Who doesn’t want success?
Success at work and play. Success financially and relationally. Success with a presentation and while making a proposal. Success in the big and the small. Success in every facet of our lives.
We want to “nail it,” whatever “it” is. When reflecting on our lives, we want to see a life connected with a string of successes.
Looking forward, though, our view is cloudy with an unsettling sea of uncertainty.
How do we nail unpredictability down and move forward with assurance of success?
“O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” In those days, I was the king’s cup-bearer.” (Nehemiah 1: 11, NLT)
Nehemiah was beside himself when he heard the news about the condition of his homeland, particularly the city of Jerusalem. “When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days, I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4).
His first response was to take his broken heart to God in prayer. After praying and fasting for several days, Nehemiah went from feeling distraught to determined. God had placed the idea in Nehemiah’s heart to restore Jerusalem, the Holy City of God.
Nehemiah’s overwhelming emotions could have trapped him in despair. How could he, the cupbearer enslaved to the Persian King, do anything about the condition of Jerusalem 900 miles away? But somewhere in his praying, Jerusalem’s clouded, uncertain future began to come into undeniable focus.
What do we do when our prayer time produces an impossible idea? We ask God to go before us and bring us success with the idea He has given us.
Prayer Comes First
Success story after success story throughout the Bible has one common thread – asking God comes first. David’s countless victories in battle and significant decisions were preceded by inquiring of God first. Queen Esther also sought God first before presenting her request to King Xerxes. After His accession, the followers of Christ met to pray and seek God for what was next.
Asking God first shifts many pieces of our story by:
- Aligning our thoughts with God and His plans.
- Giving us wisdom beyond our own knowledge.
- Empowering us to do things beyond what we could do on our own.
Jesus taught us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV).
Nehemiah was upset and went to God first, having no idea that God would meet him in his distress and invite him to be a part of the solution. Before Nehemiah took one step, though, he gave God’s idea right back to Him, seeking God’s help and favor first.
God-sized ideas need God-sized support.
Life delivers an over-taxed, hectic schedule; if we are not intentional, we will try to “nail it” on our own. But success begins with the humility of seeking God first before moving ahead. When God is the one leading, then we ask Him to give us favor as we follow His lead.
I pray that you learn to slow down and make time to ask God first, before you move forward. May God give you God-sized ideas, and then may you respond by asking Him and relying on Him for God-sized support. May God grant you success in all He has led you to do. In Jesus’ name, so be it.
Meditate: God is the One who gives success.
Reflect: How well do you stop and seek God first on matters in your life? Do you have a God-sized idea that needs God-sized support? How have you sought God with the idea? Ask God Him to give you success for what He has led you to do while being open to what God’s definition of success will look like.
Deeper: (As you read through these additional verses, ask the Spirit to give you wisdom, and teach you more about seeking Him first.) Nehemiah 1; I Samuel 30:8; Esther 4:16; Acts 1:12-14; Psalm 66
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(Bible References: NLT – New Living Translation, ESV – English Standard Version)
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