The Gracious Hand of the Lord
Nehemiah 2: 8
And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have all our requests granted by the people we need favor with? My first thought upon reading this was, “Why was the hand of God on Nehemiah?” Then I remembered a passage from Ezra. In chapter 7, verses 9 & 10 we find that “the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord.” I believe we have found the secret.
One question we may pose is, is the gracious hand of the Lord a reward for the studious observance of God’s Word or is it that grace just follows those who abide in the Word of God. I believe the latter is the correct answer but in reality, what difference does it make? If we know that favor and success follow those who are studious to discover and diligent to do all that the Lord has taught then that is, I believe, enough.
Gracious in the Hebrew means to: bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow, to show favor and mercy. In other words, the graciousness of God causes Him to come down to our level in order to give us mercy and favor. The favor from God causes all people to see us in a pleasing light such that our petitions are granted. It seems like a very good deal that we have received. If we will devote ourselves to the study and observance of God’s teachings, then we shall have favor and good success with all people.
