Delighted Servant

10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 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." I was cupbearer to the king. Nehemiah 1:10-12 (New International Version)

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains why a cupbearer was such an important official in the royal courts of antiquity. A cupbearer was "an officer of high rank at ancient courts, whose duty it was to serve the wine at the king's table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, a person must be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold this position. He must guard against poison in the king's cup, and was sometimes required to swallow some of the wine before serving it. His confidential relations with the king often endeared him to his sovereign and also gave him a position of great influence" (Vol. 1, p. 837).

A century ago, archaeologists discovered an Assyrian list of salaries paid to high-ranking officers. In that land the cupbearer received the fourth-highest salary in the kingdom, above even that of the justice of the highest court of that day. Nehemiah, a Jew, was a cupbearer for a Persian king.

Being a born again child of God, I should take my duties as seriously as Nehemiah. He has redeemed me with the precious blood of His Son. That is staggering when you think of it. As a mother, I cannot fathom loving someone so much that I would give my son's life to save them. Give my own? Yes. But my son's life-not hardly. How can a mere human truly understand the magnitude of that kind of love? By sitting at His feet, in His awesome presence, is the only way I can come close. It is one of those times that you just can't find words to describe to anyone else. Like gazing into the face of my firstborn for the first time. I had loved her for 9 months. Watched over her, prepared a place for her, felt her presence inside but now I could actually see her, touch her, hear her, name her. The reality of the never ending love and the responsibility that encompasses...was overwhelming in that moment.

That's what happened when I made Jesus the LORD of my life. The day my soul was committed to heaven. He had loved me and watched over me until the day I found Him. I felt His presence deep inside but didn't recognize it until that day. He wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life. It was official. I was adopted into His kingdom. I became a child of God. All the sins I had committed between birth and that moment had been forgiven and forgotten. Coming from a long line of legalists that was a lot for my brain to fathom. It is too much for any one's brain. It has to be embedded in your soul.

His word has given me great visuals: He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:2 NIV Not even an off the charts earthquake can put even a small crack in that fortress--my belief and the truth that He never changes, never lies, loves me with an unconditional love and will never leave me nor forsake me.

Proverbs 3:1,4 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,...write them on the tablet of your heart. I can just picture someone carving words in a tablet of stone. I can hear the hammer hit the chisel and see the fragments of stone flying away leaving behind a clean concise instruction--a rudder that will steer the ship on the right course. That's Him in me and me in Him. He loved me enough to send His Son for me so that I may have eternal life and I love Him enough to surrender all of me to Him--to truly trust Him with my life. That requires a daily chiseling on my heart. A daily feeding of His word, a daily washing with His word to get the dirt of the world off me, a daily correction and teaching so that I may learn to walk and talk in the image of my Father, and a daily rocking in His arms and comforting in His presence so I can carry out His first commandment--"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34.

As I mature spiritually, I see more of the responsibilities of a delighted servant. My focus changes from the needs of this world to the needs of the kingdom. Then Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and all else will be added to you" becomes more than words. It becomes a rudder to steer my ship.

LORD, I delight in You. Thank you for loving me, for your grace and mercy that has kept me until the day I made you my LORD and savior. Thank you LORD for watching over my loved ones until they confess their sins and make you LORD of their lives as well. Send the laborers to speak to them. Send them Godly friends and chance encounters with your anointed people--show them Your love. In Jesus' name I pray. AMEN