When God Sends the One Who Prayed
Nehemiah 1:11
After months of tears and prayer, Nehemiah reaches the final, most dangerous step: availability. “O Lord… give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
“This man” is Artaxerxes — the most powerful ruler in the world. To appear sad before him was a crime. Yet Nehemiah realises something profound: God placed him in that palace for a reason. The cupbearer’s job wasn’t random; it was strategic. Nehemiah understands that he is not just praying for God to move — he is volunteering to be part of the very answer he is asking for.
This is where many of us hesitate. We pray for revival, but do we expect God to involve us in His solution? We pray for our neighbourhood, but do we expect God to open our front door? We pray for hurting people, but do we expect God to send us into their pain?
Nehemiah prays, “Use me. Open the door. Give success.” And God does. In the next chapter, the king grants everything he requests — because God loves to use people who say, “Here I am. Send me.”
The pattern is always the same:
A broken heart.
A believing prayer.
A bold willingness.
Is there a broken wall God has made you feel — a friend, a child, a workplace, a city street? Don’t wait for “someone else.” God often sends the one who prayed first.
Tell Him today:
“Lord, here I am. Use me in Your rebuilding work.”
Because the God who rebuilt a ruined Jerusalem through a cupbearer is still rebuilding lives — through ordinary believers who dare to be available.