On Obtaining Official Favour

UV 542/10,000 On Obtaining Official Favour :Nehemiah 1 v 11 “O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.” Nehemiah occupied a position of trust with the king of Persia. Yet, he went into his presence preceded by prayer and reverence. He first prayed to the King of kings and sought His favour. He acknowledged that though he served the king as his trusted cupbearer, he was in truth the servant of the Almighty God whom He desired to fear. He did not reluctantly fear God but He wholeheartedly delighted in fearing the Lord. He trusted in the king but he trusted more in the power and goodness of God. When we need to meet decision makers or people in position and authority, we need to go into the presence of God and ask the Lord to likewise prosper us. Believers should not develop an other-worldly attitude. Instead, they must aspire for positions of trust and authority where they can be a positive influence for the kingdom of God. The other day a pastor was telling me that a youngster told him that more than the testimony of a pastor or evangelist, when a person in position like me testifies to the goodness of God and the truth of the gospel, he would be more inclined to believe. He said, “ a cricket ball costs say Rs 100/- but in the hands of Sachin Tendulkar it is quite different and valuable as compared with being handled by an ordinary player of cricket.” Yesterday, a believer referred by someone else met me. He was burdened for the plight of another longtime partner of a home for destitutes. The latter was suddenly arrested and remanded to jail over a land deal that he had executed in good faith some twenty years ago. Though the matter did not directly fall in my area of authority or jurisdiction, I was moved and convinced to do something to help the man get bail. I therefore called the District Superintendent and requested him to use his good offices as I felt that there was a miscarriage of justice. I realized that the Lord had kept me in this position to be of help in such situations. My mere call was enough often to help such people out of desperate situations. Prateep V Philip