Our scripture reading to which I invite you to turn with me at this time is found once again in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter 2. It's before the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs in the Old Testament, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Nehemiah chapter 2. As I mentioned in our last study of this book, Nehemiah is a post-exilic, post-exile leader which the Lord has graciously raised up for His people. That is, he was a leader raised up following the exile, the Babylonian captivity to which God sentences people for some 70 years under the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. In our earlier study, we considered chapter one of Nehemiah under the theme, Burden for the Broken Wall. Now we pick up the study of this book tonight in chapter two under the theme, inspecting the ruins, inspecting the ruins. Nehemiah two, beginning in verse one and reading to the end of that chapter, let us hear then the word of the Lord. In the month of Nisan, in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before. So the king asked me, why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart. I was very much afraid. But I said to the king, may the king live forever. Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? The king said to me, what is it you want? Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, if it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried, so that I can rebuild it. And the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, how long will your journey take, and when will you get back? It pleased the king to send me, so I set a time. I also said to him, if it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates so that they will provide me safe conduct until I arrive in Judah. And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy. And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my request. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites. I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days, I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. By night, I went out through the valley gate toward the jackal well and the dung gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the fountain gate and the king's pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through. So I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and re-entered through the valley gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. Then I said to them, you see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and we will no longer be in disgrace. I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, let us start rebuilding. So they began this good work. But when Sanballat, the Horonite, Tobiah, the Ammonite official, and Geshem, the Arab, heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "'What is this you are doing?' they asked. "'Are you rebelling against the king?' I answered them by saying, "'The God of heaven will give us success. "'We, his servants, will start rebuilding. "'But as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem "'or any claim or historic right to it.'" Thus far, the reading of God's Holy Word. As always, dear friends, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy as we look to God's Word together today. Dear congregation of Jesus Christ, patience, patience. Webster's Dictionary defines being patient as, and I quote, Bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint, manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain, not hasty or impetuous, steadfast despite opposition and difficulty or adversity, able or willing to bear," end of quote. Now friends, think about that. Think about that definition of patience. Indeed, allow me to ask you, do you consider yourself to be a patient person? Do you consider yourself to be a patient person? You know, some time ago, one of our retired senior citizens shared with me his personal definition of a split second. He said, and I quote, a split second is the amount of time between the traffic light turning green and the person behind you blowing their horn. Can you identify with that? But indeed, let's be honest with ourselves, do you like hitting red lights? Do you like hitting red lights? If you do, let me see you shake your head yes. No one is shaking their head yes. No one likes hitting red lights, and by the way, neither do I. But think about this, think about patience. I share this idea of patience with you, brothers and sisters, because when we left off in our last study of the book of Nehemiah in chapter one, We found that Nehemiah had an incredibly heavy burden. He was bearing an incredibly heavy burden because of the broken down wall of the city of Jerusalem. You may also recall with me, if you look at Nehemiah 1.1, that we read the words of Nehemiah, son of Hekeliah, in the month of Kislev in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, that means. And that means, as you may recall from our last study, but that that burden fell on the heart of Nehemiah so heavily around November, December, according to our calendar in the year 445 B.C. And I think about this. When we get to Nehemiah chapter two and read verse one, we read in the month of Nissan and boys and girls, young people, that's not the car company. This is another month in the Jewish calendar. In the month of Nissan, it would it would approximate our March, April of our calendar year. In the month of Nisan, in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes. So now we're talking March, April of the year 444 BC, not the fall, November, December, early winter of 445 BC. And what does that mean? Friends, that means that Nehemiah has been bearing this incredibly heavy burden concerning the broken down wall of Jerusalem for approximately four long months. with seemingly nothing of significance happening in the alleviating of his burden. Now think about that, think about that. Question, have you ever found yourself waiting on the Lord? Did you ever find yourself waiting on the Lord? I have, a number of times. And brothers and sisters, would you not agree with me that that is not a very easy thing for us to do? To wait, period. And also to wait upon the Lord. Think about that. Well, you know, interestingly enough, in the book of Psalms, and if you would care to turn with me, in Psalm 27, in Psalm 27, verse 14, the sacred psalmist David, who many times had to flee for his life, he dealt with all kinds of rebellions, Saul wanted to kill him, great heartache, great sin, great judgment of God, all the rest. In Psalm 27, verse 14, that same psalmist David says, wait for the Lord, be strong, and take heart, and wait for the Lord. In Psalm 40, if you're turning with me, over in Psalm 40, verses 1 and 2, that same sacred psalmist David writes this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Psalm 40, 1 and 2. He says, I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. You see, that was after waiting patiently on the Lord. In Psalm 130, similarly, again, if you want to just listen, that's fine, but otherwise, in Psalm 130, verses 5 and 6, the psalmist says, I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchman wait for the morning, more than the watchman wait for the morning. And friends, finally on this score, in the New Testament, in the book of Titus, the second chapter, Titus chapter 2, the Apostle Paul writes these Holy Spirit inspired words to Titus, his young son in the faith, in verses 11 through 13, 14, thereabouts. Titus 2, beginning in verse 11. Paul says, for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, notice, while we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own. I eagerly do what is good. Eagerly do what is good. Now, friends, I share these texts with you because that is the kind of God-honoring, Holy Spirit-inspired patience, seemingly, which Nehemiah was filled with as he waited those long four months with nothing really happening for the alleviating of his burden for the broken-down wall of Jerusalem. Ah, but notice, but notice. As we now begin working our way through Nehemiah chapter two, we find that Nehemiah is graciously given by God a providential opportunity, a providential opportunity to ask King Artaxerxes to commission him, to free him, to give him permission to go back to Judah and to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Friends, yet as our scripture lesson goes on to teach us in no uncertain terms, Before such a rebuilding could even possibly begin to take place, Nehemiah needed to engage very carefully in inspecting the ruins. In inspecting the ruins. Now brothers and sisters, as we saw last time in our study of Nehemiah, whether you or I are personally experiencing or are personally observing a broken down wall in our own or another's heart. Whether you or I are personally experiencing or are personally observing a broken down wall, as it were, in our own or someone else's home. Whether you or I are personally experiencing or observing a broken down wall in some particular aspect of our own personal lives, Whether we see a broken down wall here in the life of our own congregation, or whether we see a broken down wall somewhere out there in the life of our nation, or whether we see a broken down wall somewhere elsewhere in the worldwide church of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The sacred scriptures lay out for us, dear friends, four key principles. Four key principles by which a very careful inspection of those ruins must first of all take place. Now before we continue, I have to give a qualifier. I was studying yesterday at home, and I went downstairs, and where's my wife? Margaret? Oh, there you are. I went down and I said to Margaret, honey, I said, I'm working away. I am so excited about the book of Nehemiah. I've got these four great principles that need to be applied in inspecting the ruins. And I said, if I give all four of them in one message, the people are going to die. In fact, I was thinking to myself, just this morning, one of our young couples had moved, and I asked them where exactly they had moved to, and they said, do you know where the Tappan Zee Bridge is? And I said, oh yeah, I used to cross it all the time when I was a student up at the King's College. And a lady who was visiting with us, a family member of one of our members, overheard me say that, and she said, you went to the King's College, did you know Dr. Cook? And I said, oh yeah, we got talking about Dr. Cook. Well, Dr. Cook had what he called cookisms. And one of his cookisms was this. The mind cannot absorb more than the seat can endure. The mind cannot absorb more than the seat can endure. So when I was talking to Margaret about my four points, I was thinking the mind cannot absorb more than the seat can endure. So I do apologize. We're not going to look at all four points tonight. We're gonna just look at two of those points. And Lord willing, we'll try to give the other two points next Sunday morning. I haven't fleshed them all out yet, but I know what they are, and the Lord will, I trust, bless me this week. So just know that there are four points, four principles, which we must apply in inspecting the ruins. But tonight, we're only gonna be able to look at the first two. Well, principle number one for successfully inspecting the ruins is prayer. Principle number one for successfully inspecting the ruins of a broken down wall is prayer. For example, look at Nehemiah 2 verses 1 and following with me, if you would please. Here we read, In the 20th year of King Argexerxes, 444 BC, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now remember from our last study, or if you weren't with us at our last study, the last sentence in chapter one says, I was cupbearer to the king. And friends, remember this was a position, if you will, of great authority and tremendous responsibility. I won't go into it further again at this time, but just please take note of that. He was the cupbearer to the king. That's why he took the wine and gave it to the king. He said, I had not been sad in his presence before. So the king asked me, why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart. Think about that. Do you read the Proverbs? I love reading the Proverbs. Young people, if you read one chapter of Proverbs every day, it'll take you through the whole month. There's 31 chapters in the book. And I have a pastor friend out in California who reads a chapter of Proverbs every day, and when he gets to the end of the month, he just starts it right over again in chapter one, the first of the next month. And I've done that many times in the course of my own life. But in Proverbs 15, verse 13, Proverbs 15, verse 13, we read, a happy heart makes the face cheerful. But heartache crushes the spirit. Brothers and sisters, you see, Nehemiah's spirit was crushed because of the broken down wall of the city of Jerusalem. And it affected his face. And his face betrayed his heart. And he looked sad in the presence of the king. And so the king said to him again, why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This could be nothing but sadness of heart. I was very much afraid. I was very much afraid. Why so? The king just said, you look sad and you're not sick. And Nehemiah says, I was very much afraid. Why so? Well, in the words of one commentator, and I quote, because regardless of one's personal problems, the king's servants were expected to keep their feelings hidden and to display a cheerful countenance before him, end of quote. In fact, according to what I have read, if you were to come into a king's presence with a sad countenance and a downcast spirit, It could literally cost you your life. It could literally cost you your life. In fact, if you're taking notes, you may wish to jot down Esther 4, verses 9 through 16. Esther 4, 9 through 16. Do you remember when Mordecai asked Esther to go before King Xerxes and appeal on behalf of her people, the Jews? And Esther said, I can't just go into his presence because if someone goes into the king's presence unsummoned, the king has only one law. Do you know what it was? Death sentence. You'd be put to death. You'd be put to death. And so Nehemiah, having the king notice that he was sad, that his countenance was downcast in the king's presence, he was very much afraid. It could possibly cost him his life. And brothers and sisters, I must confess, I've been prayerfully pondering that historical reality, and it got me thinking about the way we, and I'm including myself in this, it got me thinking about the way we come into the presence of a just and holy and righteous God for worship. I mean, think about this. In fact, I don't think, any pastor will tell you this, I don't think a lot of people in the pew realize that whoever's leading worship can see them. We see all kinds of weird things from up here, and it's like the people in the pew think we're invisible, and that I can't see what's going on, or whoever's leading worship can't see. We see a lot of stuff. And to be honest with you, and I'm speaking for myself also, It's not always God honoring. It's not always God honoring. And I guess, brothers and sisters, what convicted me about this is that when you think about coming into the presence of this just, holy, righteous God, God sees everything. God sees everything. He doesn't only see our faces. He sees our hearts. He sees our hearts. He sees not only our appearance physically, but he sees our condition spiritually. I think when we come into his holy presence, we would do well as his people and as a people to keep that riveted in our hearts and in our minds. Nehemiah said, I was very much afraid. I was very much afraid. And no doubt again, because of his sad countenance. But can anyone surmise a second reason, and I did not think of this, I had to study it out. Can anybody surmise a second reason as to why Nehemiah might have been afraid coming into the presence of the king? It's very, very interesting. Turn back to the book of Ezra with me, if you would, please. It's just the prior book. Ezra 4. Ezra chapter 4. And just skim over Ezra chapter 4. We're not going to take the time to read it all. But Ezra, who had gone back to Jerusalem about 13 years prior than Nehemiah, and he ran into some opposition from two men named Rehum and Shimshi. And they basically had written a letter to King Artaxerxes, if you'll skim over verses, let's say, 11 and following of Ezra four. And he says, hey, you've got to know there's some people here trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. And this is a rebellious people. This is a troubled people. If you look in the historical archives, you'll know that this city is always causing trouble and you need to stop this work. And then in Ezra 4, 17 and following notice what King Artaxerxes replies. The King sent this reply to Reham, the commanding officer, Shimshi, the secretary of the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in trans Euphrates greetings. The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. I issued an order and a search was made and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against Kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute, and duty were paid to them. Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow to the detriment of the royal interests? As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshi, the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop. Compelled them by force to stop. Now think about this. This is the king to whom Nehemiah is now approaching, saying, I want you to rescind the order. I want you to undo what you already did. I want you to change your mind. And now I want you to get permission for me to go and rebuild the wall that you said shouldn't be built. And no doubt, that is partly why Nehemiah was afraid. Now, I grant you, if you're a scholar of the Bible or know your Old Testament well, I grant you that Ezra 7 tells us that there was a period prior where this King Artaxerxes did allow Ezra to take some of the treasures from the temple and some of the exiles to go back to Jerusalem. That is true. But Nehemiah didn't know what the king would think or what he would say in this particular instance. But friends, remember, Nehemiah had prayed. Most of Nehemiah chapter 1 is his prayer, pleading, appealing, beseeching God to grant him favor with this request of the king. So even though he was afraid, he was very much afraid. Look at verse 3 with me. But I said to the king, May the king live forever. Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? It's almost as if that burden which he was bearing for some four months, he can't keep inside anymore and it just comes spilling out of him and he bears his soul to the king. He just bears his soul to the king. Verse 4, the king said to me, what is it you want? And you and I might be thinking, wow, is this too good to be true or what? He's asking me what I want. We might have jumped right into the conversation. Nehemiah doesn't do that. He doesn't do that. It says in verse four, then I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I prayed to the God of heaven. Before he opened his mouth again, Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven. And friends, it was fascinating for me to study this week how many times Nehemiah prayed, even after his very lengthy prayer of Nehemiah chapter one. We won't take the time to read them all, but if you're taking notes, you may wish to jot them down or just listen to the impact of this. We find Nehemiah praying in Nehemiah four, verses four and five. We find Nehemiah praying in Nehemiah 4, verse 9. We find Nehemiah praying in Nehemiah 5, verse 19. We find Nehemiah praying in Nehemiah 6, verses 9 and 14. We find Nehemiah praying in Nehemiah 13, 14. Before he opened his mouth again, he said, I pray to the God of heaven. And what a powerful model, what a powerful example for you and for me. In fact, if your Bibles are open and you would care to turn with me, let's go to the Gospel according to Matthew, the 5th chapter, excuse me, Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7, the first Gospel account, Matthew chapter 7, Jesus is speaking. And in Matthew 7, verses 7 through 11, Jesus says this, Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. Don't lose your place. Those are all present imperatives in the original language. And that means they have a sense of not only of being a command, but of ongoing action. And it kind of is tied in with waiting on the Lord. Sometimes we knock, or we pray, or we ask, and there's no answer, and we give up. We give up. But Jesus is saying here, we've got to keep on keeping on, as it were. Keep on asking and it will be given to you. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. He who seeks, finds. And to him who knocks, the door will be opened. And then he gives a personal, practical example. And he says, which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. And fathers, think of this. Of course we would. How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him? Turn over to Luke chapter 18 with me, if you would please. Jesus tells a parable which very powerfully sends home the same message. Luke 18, beginning in verse 1. We read of Jesus this, and then He says this. Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Don't lose your place. Some of us tonight feel like giving up. I'm looking out, I see some family. You have family members that are so terribly, terminally sick. Others have just lost loved ones. Some of us have financial pressures that are incredible, marriage difficulties, strains in our home. We're concerned for spiritually strained children. We have aging parents who might be nearing their last breath, and on and on it goes, and sometime we feel like giving up. Sometime we feel like giving up. Jesus taught this parable, brothers and sisters, so that we would always pray and not give up. He said in a certain town there was a judge who neither cared for God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, grant me justice against my adversary. For some time he refused. But finally, he said to himself, even though I don't fear God or care about man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming. And the Lord said, listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? And then friends, finally on this score, in 1 Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18, the Apostle Paul declares, and again, present imperatives, be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. You know, I mentioned Dr. Bob Cook a few moments ago. He had many, many cookisms. Some of us used to listen to him on the radio. I listened to him on the radio even after I graduated King's. And he would often say this. He would talk about prayer. And he would say, always pray before you pick up the phone and answer that call. Always pray before you pick up the phone and make that call. Always pray before you open that letter. He said it could be a check or it could be a bill. And there's a big difference between the two. And today, Dr. Cook would be saying, pray before you send that text or you send that email. Pray before you read that text or read that email. The Apostle Paul said, pray without ceasing. Jesus said, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. You see, the door will be opened and you will be heard. And friends, why do you suppose, by the way, back here in Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah throws up what some have called a javelin prayer. You know what a javelin prayer is? It's just, you don't have a lot of time to think about it. You're just in the situation and you just throw the javelin up. You throw the prayer up. Well, he offers here a javelin prayer. King says, what is it you want? He says, I prayed to the God of heaven. What do you suppose he offered that javelin prayer? Well, I think that Nehemiah was probably aware of what was penned some 500 to 600 years prior in the book of Proverbs, the 21st chapter, the first verse, which says this, Proverbs 21. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a water course wherever he pleases. Isn't that beautiful? The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a water course wherever he pleases. And so when the king said to him, what is it you want? Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven. Then I answered the king, if it pleases the king. And by the way, note here the respect and the honor which Nehemiah Properly affords this Persian king and he does it repeatedly throughout this passage. He said if it pleases the king God had providentially placed him an authority over him He said if it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight Let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can Rebuild it so that I can rebuild it The point brothers and sisters is this As you and I individually and corporately seek to alleviate the burden of the broken down wall we see in someone's heart or someone's home or in this congregation or in this nation or somewhere within the worldwide church of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible says that first of all we must pray for each and every person. Listen to me. We must pray for each and every person. And we must pray for each and every aspect involved in that particular situation of a broken down wall. Because Nehemiah sets an example before us in no uncertain terms, that prayer is and must indeed be the first key principle to be applied before a careful inspection of the ruins can take place. Before a careful inspection of the ruins can take place. Well, friends, there's a second key principle which must be applied in order for us to be found successfully inspecting the ruins, and that is planning, and that is planning. For example, look at verse 6 of Nehemiah 2 with me, if you would. Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him. Now, this is interesting that he points that out. Why does he point out that the queen was sitting beside him? We don't know for sure. It's interesting to note that that term queen is used only two times in the entire Old Testament in the Hebrew. The only other time it's used is in Psalm 45 verse 9, Psalm 45 verse 9, where it is translated queen in the King James and in the New American Standard, but it's translated as royal bride in the NIV. And we're not sure why Nehemiah points that out, that the queen was sitting beside him. It certainly drives home to us that we are reading here a first-person eyewitness account of what transpired historically. But as we saw in our last study, it's also important to note that the king had before him, therefore, two of his most trusted advisors, probably his two most trusted advisors, his wife and his cupbearer. Just just tuck that away. It's very interesting. Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, how long will your journey take and when will you get back? It pleased the king to send me, so I set a time." Why did Nehemiah set a time? Because he was about to embark on a very dangerous 800 mile journey. And he wanted to make sure that things were in order, that he was ready to go. He didn't just pick up and leave. He set a time. Friends, as I was prayerfully pondering that reality, A parable Jesus told concerning the cost of discipleship occurred to me. It's found in Luke chapter 14, verses 25 through 30. Luke 14, 25 through 30, where we read this. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. And turning to them, He said, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children, his brothers and sisters, yet even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, this fellow began to build and was not able to finish. And so we need to count the cost of discipleship before committing our lives to Christ. Nehemiah began planning by setting a time before he left. But he didn't only set a time, look at verses 7 with me and following. I also said to him, if it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates so that they will provide me safe conduct until I arrive in Judah. And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy. He had obviously thought all this out. And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my request." Proverbs 21.1 strikes again. Proverbs 21.1 strikes again. The heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord. He directs it like a watercourse wherever he wants it to go. You know, the great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, once said this, and I quote, It is possible to move men through God by prayer alone. And that's true. It is possible, said Hudson Taylor, to move men through God by prayer alone. And so it ought not to surprise us that Nehemiah says, because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my request. Look at verse nine as our text for tonight will conclude. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. I just love that. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. Why? Well, Nehemiah was being commissioned to serve as governor of Jerusalem and Judah. This is how we read in the papers that Governor Christie travels with all these state troopers, right? Well, the cavalry was Nehemiah's state troopers, if you will. The cavalry was his state troopers. He was going to be well protected, escorted safely to the destination that God had ordained for him. But not only so. Why the army officers in the cavalry? Well, as someone has once said, where God guides. He also provides where God guides. He also provides. And friends, that's why the Christian poet has put it this way, and I quote, listen carefully, please. Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can't tunnel through? God specializes in things thought impossible. He does the things others cannot do. And that's true, and that's true. And brothers and sisters, that is why, by God's grace, as you and I leave this place, may He graciously grant to each and every one of us the power and the ability to engage in faithful and fervent prayer and faithful and effective planning. Because if you and I sincerely desire to productively bear the burden of a broken down wall in someone's heart, in someone's home, a broken down wall in this congregation or in our nation or anywhere within the church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And we need to follow this very powerful example of this man named Nehemiah and personally appropriate and apply these first two of four key principles which Nehemiah implemented toward inspecting the ruins. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts together in prayer. Oh Lord our God, some 2,700 years ago you spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying, can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are ever before me. And so gracious Father, whatever and wherever are the broken walls with which we are burdened. Give to each and every one of us the grace we pray today and every day, such as you graciously gave to a man named Nehemiah so many years ago. so that we might not simply be burdened for the broken wall, but toward the ultimate God-glorifying end of rebuilding that wall, may we all be found faithful, fervent, and effective in inspecting the ruins, first of all. Hear us, O Heavenly Father, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.