God Will Prosper Us

Nehemiah 2:20 – “Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah had permission from the king to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. After surveying the damage, Nehemiah declared his purpose to build up the breeched walls of Jerusalem. Immediately Nehemiah’s company was confronted with those who opposed their plans. Nehemiah’s response to his critics was direct and swift: “The God of heaven, he will prosper us.” This project was the result of a sincere burden and had been birthed as an answer to a specific prayer. Nehemiah had every confidence that God would bless their hands as they purposed to carry out His will.

Whatever we are doing for God, or as a part of His will, we need His help and blessing to fulfill it. We are not able to accomplish God’s will in our own strength or wisdom. We need to know that God will prosper us. We can have the same confidence Nehemiah had as we set out to follow God’s will for our lives. Whether it is building a personal life and testimony that pleases Him, building a family, building a ministry, or building a Christ-honoring business, our desire is that God will prosper us as we obey Him.

Nehemiah’s life can serve as an encouraging pattern for our personal decisions and endeavors. The first thing he did when he learned of the devastation in Jerusalem was pray. He cried out to God, confessed his own sins, and confessed the sins of the people. He rehearsed to God the promises of the Scripture concerning His gathering of His people. Before asking for the king’s blessing on this proposed project, Nehemiah again prayed. In every detail, Nehemiah sought the Lord concerning his plan. Nehemiah was not requesting that God bless his plan; he was making sure it was God’s plan.

God wants to bless us and prosper us as we seek to serve Him in His will. That does not mean we will be without opposition or difficulties; Nehemiah faced them as well. Nor does the fact that God will prosper us mean that God will do all the work and we will do nothing. Our text says, “we his servants will arise and build.” We will have to work to see God’s purposes fulfilled, but as we work, we can trust that God will prosper us.