“If it Please the King, Send Me.” In Nehemiah 2:5-7 we find Nehemiah serving as the king’s cupbearer. The king noted Nehemiah’s countenance was sad and he inquired after his wellbeing. Nehemiah was afraid for to display sadness in the king’s presence could be a capital offense. Dashing of a prayer under his breath Nehemiah put his life on the line with his answer.
What about you? Are your prayers dangerous? God has made you a cupbearer in His kingdom because He lives on the inside of you. Paul said in Col. 1:26,27 that Christ in You is the Hope of Glory. Your heart is the cup that God holds in His hand. What would you dare ask him? When is the last time that you prayed a prayer so audacious that the fear of God caused you to tremble for asking it?
Nehemiah didn’t ask something for himself although he could have. Being the king’s cupbearer meant he was a trusted and beloved servant in the king and queen’s eyes. He asked rather for something beyond himself – to be sent by the king to rebuild the wasted city of Jerusalem. What does this tell us?
Dangerous prayers are prayers that entail something other than your own advancement – but nonetheless result in promotion. The king heard Nehemiah’s prayer and not only granted his request but made Nehemiah responsible for the project. Dangerous prayers are prayers offered up with a willingness to take responsibility for initiatives in the kingdom. Not looking to someone else or what they should be doing but being willing to take responsibility, alter your life’s plans and sell yourself cheap into service to the higher purposes of God.
Right this moment God’s hand is wrapped around your heart like a cup in the hand of the king. He is peering into your face and wondering just what you might ask of Him. Be bold enough to ask “If it please the king – send me…” It is certainly true in our day that the city of God, the church lies waste. During the COVID crisis churches in America lie vacant and abandoned. Is there not a cause are are you not willing to be SENT BY THE KING to a task so far beyond you that only a radical change in life could bring about the fulfillment of that which your heart aches after?
