The Hand Behind the Favor
Nehemiah 2:8b; Genesis 39:2-3
So far, Nehemiah is on his journey to restore Judah. He has prayed fervently, asked humbly, and sought God—first for what was on his heart, and now for what actions to take. He makes a clear ask of the king’s forest keeper for timber for the city, and his request is granted.
Nehemiah had a plan. He knew exactly what he needed. He made a specific request. But he ultimately attributed the outcome to God’s hand, not his own preparation or persuasive ability.
God’s provision often comes through people. Nehemiah prayed to God, but God’s answer involved the king, the keeper of the forest, resources, letters, and ultimately people who would help accomplish the work. We ask God, and in His provision and timing, He provides us the next action step—in this case, the next person to make the ask to. God’s orchestration is on display in all of this.
We have all experienced the kindness, generosity, and support of other people. Our awareness of God and His heart toward us is so crucial in these moments. He is deeply concerned with our heart posture. Are we taking our hearts to Him first? Because this can reflect how we make our needs known to others, how we plan, what we prioritize, and how we respond—with humility and openness or with hesitation and doubt. How we receive God’s favor can be a testimony to the people around us.
Nehemiah was heartbroken by the condition of the city, but he prayed before acting on that heartbreak, exemplifying the right heart posture to God. He planned carefully and prayerfully—he had a plan in place. And while all of this was necessary, he recognized, most importantly, that his success belonged entirely to God’s favor.
As we seek the Lord’s guidance for our church’s future, and as we work and plan it diligently, it is not going to be easy. But in the process, God calls us to humility. He calls us to make our requests known. And just like Nehemiah, He also calls us to take action.
Every time we pray, plan, ask, and then trust God with the outcome, we are reminded that the provision was never ultimately ours to produce. We are called to wait on Him. We are called to pray in the planning and to pray in the waiting.
When I was called to raise prayer and financial support for my residency role at CVC, I had expectations, and even desires, that it would be easy. It was not. God gently reminded me of my inability to succeed without fully seeking His hand in it. I had to truly lay down my fears and inabilities and seek God, because I was realizing quickly that something so new and difficult was going to take work—and God made that clear.
He blessed that work—others saw my trust in Him and desired to help. Making the ask didn’t make me feel weak; it helped me recognize God’s sovereignty. When we seek God first about an outcome, our hearts naturally attribute the favor or the outcome to Him. If we just expect things to happen, without seeking His face first and throughout, we can wonder where He is in it. Remember, God’s will is accomplished through His people and through their obedience.
All that we are planning at CVC may seem like a lot, because it is. This vision we have should drive us into deeper dependence on God—and if it doesn’t, we’re surely doing something very wrong.
It will require us to step into new territory and make big asks—for resources, help, support, finances. But it is for a specific, focused purpose: to invite people to follow Jesus, be transformed by Him, and multiply His kingdom here and around the world.
Nehemiah sought God in what he was called to do—to make big asks. But he too knew his purpose and acted on it in faith, relying on God for the outcome, and giving Him the credit for the success.
Question to Consider
Are we open to what God might ask us to do? Are we willing to be uncomfortable in pursuit of His plan to include us in His work here? And what could happen in us and around us if all our plans were backed by truly seeking the Lord in prayer and even fasting?
Prayer Prompt
Pray for: God to reveal His hand in the work we will eventually do, and for a daily reminder that the work truly starts here and now, with seeking Him.
Let’s seek our Lord:
Dear Father God, I praise You and thank You that You have written our story. That our future is in Your hands, and that You love us so perfectly that You call us each to play a specific role in CVC and in Your kingdom. We trust You, Lord. Help us trust You more. Let our lives be proof of our trust in You, Your faithfulness to us, and our confidence that You alone carve our path and provide our every need. We don’t want to wait around and expect things to happen; we want to take action for what You’d have for us. But we also don’t want to charge ahead and assume that everything depends on us—remind us that it surely doesn’t. We thank You for Your word today, God, and for the example of Nehemiah—for his deep dependence on You that produced faithful action. May that be true of each of us as we trust You with our future. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done, Lord. In Your holy name, above all names, amen.
