Courage for the Task Came Through Power—Nehemiah and Artaxerxes stood face to face,—the one a servant of a downtrodden race, the other the monarch of the world’s great empire. But infinitely greater than the disparity of rank was the moral distance which separated them. Nehemiah had complied with the invitation of the King of kings, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me, and he shall make peace with Me.” Isaiah 27:5. The silent petition that he sent up to heaven was the same that he had offered for many weeks, that God would prosper his request. And now, taking courage at the thought that he had a Friend, omniscient and omnipotent, to work in his behalf, the man of God made known to the king his desire for release for a time from his office at the court, and for authority to build up the waste places of Jerusalem, and make it once more a strong and defensed city. Momentous results to the Jewish city and nation hung upon this request. “And,” says Nehemiah, “the king granted me according to the good hand of my God upon me.”(Nehemiah 2:8)—The Southern Watchman, March 8, 1904. (ChS 172.1) MC VC

Secured Official Indorsement—As his [Nehemiah’s] request to the king had been so favorably received, he was encouraged to ask for such assistance as was needed for the carrying out of his plans. To give dignity and authority to his mission, as well as to provide for protection on the journey, he secured a military escort. He obtained royal letters to the governors of the provinces beyond the Euphrates, the territory through which he must pass on his way to Judea; and he obtained, also, a letter to the keeper of the king’s forest in the mountains of Lebanon, directing him to furnish such timber as would be needed for the wall of Jerusalem and the buildings that Nehemiah proposed to erect. In order that there might be no occasion for complaint that he had exceeded his commission, Nehemiah was careful to have the authority and privileges accorded him, clearly defined.—The Southern Watchman, March 15, 1904. (ChS 172.2) MC VC

The royal letters to the governors of the provinces along his route, secured to Nehemiah an honorable reception and prompt assistance. And no enemy dared molest the official who was guarded by the power of the Persian king and treated with marked consideration by the provincial rulers. Nehemiah’s journey was safe and prosperous.—The Southern Watchman, March 22, 1904. (ChS 172.3) MC VC