“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
Nehemiah 1:11

I am in the process of looking for a plow truck (similar to the one pictured above, although a V-Plow would be nice 🙂 ) for Michiana Christian Service Camp.  Searching for a used vehicle can be quite nerve-wracking — particularly when it is for a ministry and you are even more acutely aware of the need to be a good steward of funds God has provided.  I want something durable, reliable, and with no hidden or unseen problems that will serve us well for years to come.  With that said, I realize even the best mechanic can’t see inside an engine, transmission, or other major component and predict its longevity with complete accuracy.

That’s where I think the above verse comes in to this process. 🙂  Some may say, “What does God care about a truck, or buildings, or other “stuff” that a camp may need?”  Yet it is in the context of “stuff” that Nehemiah prays!  He receives word that his Jewish brethren living in Judah are in great need.  The walls of Jerusalem have been broken down and the city gates have been burned.  Nehemiah is concerned for the physical needs of the people and the city.  So, in his position as cupbearer to the king, he knows that the resources exist to help.  I believe he also knows that this process could go extremely well or could be an incredible disaster — kind of like buying a used truck. 🙂

So, Nehemiah does what we all ought to do when faced with a decision — pray!  While he knew the person who could provide everything that was needed, he also knew the God that could move the heart of the king to respond favorably!  Nehemiah didn’t rely on his connections, influence, or ability to convince the king to do what was needed.  Instead he prayed that God would give him success by granting him favor in the king’s presence.  In essence, he is praying that God would open doors that needed to be opened and close doors that needed to be closed in order for the needs of the Israelite people in Jerusalem to be met.  His success was connected to God granting him favor.  Did you catch that?  It wasn’t that the king would grant him favor but that God would grant him favor!  The king was simply part of the resources that God was providing to a servant who was faithfully seeking Him.

So I pray!  I pray that God will give me success in this plow truck search by Him granting me favor in the presence of the seller of just the right truck to serve the camp needs!  I pray that He continues to close doors of potential truck sellers that would be bad for the camp and that He would open the door clearly to the seller of the truck that God knows would be best for the camp!  Would you join me in praying that God would give me success by Him granting me favor in the presence of the right seller?

Thank you!

Update:  . . . and here is what God provided — If you can’t tell from the picture, it is a V-Plow!