for the hand of the Lord his God was on him
Nehemiah 2:4
Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers ‘graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me ( the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
Ezra 7:6
this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him
Ezra 8:17
to send us ministers for the house of our God. And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion
I am reminded of how many times men prayed and sought God for a very specific need that seemed impossible. Can you imagine going to the King who has conquered your country and taken you exile and asking him for permission to go back to rebuild your city? Or in a time when it is clear there is no one able to meet the task at hand God supplies the person. There is nothing greater than our God. He is able to do more than we can imagine. Everything is possible with God – Take your burden and place it in His hands.
