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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS
for His glory. Silently God wrought by devious ways and through various instruments for their deliverance and ultimate good. Our secular circum stances are His concerns. He has set us where we are in order that we may serve the interests of His kingdom. •There is strategic value in the appoint ment and service of even the least of His people.—Holden. Nehemiah Talking to God. *Neh. 1: 1 - 11 . Memory Verse.— “ Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:1. Approach.— Mary, are there some things which you do not know how to do? Yes, a great many things which you do not know how to do. When at home and there is BEGINNERS something you want AND PRIMARY to do that is per- Mabel L. Merrill fectly right for you to do, and you do not quite understand just how to do it, whom do you talk it over with? Mother, of course. If you are sick or in trouble of any kind, to whom do you go? Yes, to mother, for she knows so much more than you know, and can always help and tell you what is best for you to do. Now I wonder if there are some things that even mother does not know, and can not help us out on? Is there any one then to whom we can always go and find help? Jesus. Let us bow our heads and thank God for such a lov ing Saviour and friend. Prayer. Lesson Story. If I could show you a picture of our story for today we would see a man standing before a king, with a very sad face. He is the king’s cup bearer, a Jew. The king asked him why he was looking so very sad and dis tressed. Then the man, whose name was Nehemiah, told the king he was sad because of the 'condition of the city of Jerusalem. When Nehemiah heard how his people, the Jews in Jerusalem, were suffering, and that the city walls were broken down, in many places, he
with worship, adoring contemplation of the character, majesty and faithfulness of God. It was persistent, “ day and night” . It was accompanied by con fession of sin and there is no power in prayer if there is unconfessed sin. It was built upon God’s sure word of promise (vs. 8, 9). It.appealed to the fact that those for whom he was pray ing were Jehovah’s servants whom He had redeemed (v. 10), and in our pray ers we have a right to plead our rela tionship to Him as His children. It was intensely earnest— “ I beseech” -—(vs* 5, 3, 11). It met the conditions of pre vailing prayer. He “ delighted to fear” Jehovah’s name (cf. Ps. 37:4; 1 Jn. 3:22).— Torrey. Lord God of heaven. He does not address Jehovah as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but after the sacred name he adds the descriptive title, God of heaven. This is a favorite expression of Nehemiah’s. Here is an exalted name for God, the origin of which is apparently Gentile, accepted and used by a devout Jew, and through his employment of it passing over into the Scripture, so that the religion of Israel is enriehed by a phrase from abroad.— Adeney. v. 6. I have sinned. There is no flaw revealed in Nehemiah’s character as there is none in Daniel’s life (Dan. 9), yet both of these men of God went on their faces and confessed tneir sins and the sins of the people. They real ized that they had a common share in the failure of His people. So are we blameworthy of the spiritual decline and failure among God’s people and should humble ourselves on account of it.—Anno. Bible. v. 8. Pray and beseech thee. If God were not more mindful of His promises than we are of His precepts, we should be undone.— Sel. v. 11.—Prosper thy servant this day. If our morning supplication is, “ Prosper thy servant this day” and our purposes are for God’s glory, we need not fear facing anybody.—Maclaren. Prayer of thy servants. This was evidently not a solitary prayer for there seems to have been a little band of others united with him. Lord, teach us to pray thus till others are found kneeling with us.r— Devo. Com. I was the king’s cupbearer. Herein is seen the work of God, who placed His servant in the position of privilege and at the same time moved the heart of the heathen sovereign so that he was willing both to liberate the people and to further their desire
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