Success experts and motivational speakers have also told us that success is a function of location. Perhaps, this is true, but that is to the extent that such location refers to an intangible one, as against a physical environment. In the passage above, God tells us that He will prosper whoever observes His laws and strictly adheres to them, anywhere such person is!
The pursuit of success and prosperity has led many to subscribe to career or professional paths that run contrary to their natural strength and divine gift. So many people have chosen perceived high-profile professions with the aim of gaining wealth and fame thereby. But this has often proved counter-productive, as they neither found happiness nor success in what they do. Instead, frustration sums up their days and clouds the joy they could have derived from doing what they were made for.
God is the Creator of us all. In addition to us, He also instituted success, prosperity, healthiness and other material or emotional states we desire. God has His own idea as to what we should do to attain success. And it is interesting to note that His requirements are not far-fetched. They are unbelievably simple, perhaps, that is why we often do not give them a thought; as they sound just too simple to be true.
Nehemiah was not the only person who was agitated about the ruins of Jerusalem; there were probably other people like him who were equally burdened. But he was the one who was bothered enough to express his concern. He might not have staged a protest, but the frown he wore was expressive enough to get him the attention of the king who could make a difference. And he got the royal pass he needed to legitimise his agenda.
Clarity is a virtue, and vagueness is a vice. It pays to be clear about what you want at any point in time. In the passage above, when asked about what he wanted, Nehemiah was unambiguous in his response to the king. He did not bore his listeners with elaborate background details before stating what he wanted, by so doing wasting their time. On the contrary, he was unequivocal in his statement of intent. He wanted to go back to his native land to rebuild the ruins.
The interesting true-life conversation below between a father and his five-year-old son underscores the importance of running our good idea on the litmus of divine will and agenda. The dialogue was narrated by the father:
