My Hero

Ever been asked who your favorite Bible hero is?

I never really knew how to answer. Put on the spot, I could never think of one person in particular that stood out to me. There are things that touch my need and inspire me about many biblical personalities.

I admire Paul's ambitious ministry, the fact that he wrote much of the New Testament, that he just wouldn't quit even in the face of great suffering, and his profound wisdom about God's grace to us in Christ.

I admire the courage of Mary, a young girl who, when faced with a frightful appearing, an impossible message, and head-spinning responsibility, said, "Be it done to me according to your word."  Wow.

I admire Peter for his all-out passion for Jesus. The first to speak up, the only one to get out of the boat and walk on water, the first to jump from the boat and run to Jesus after His resurrection, Peter had a passion and drive I lack.

In this time of quiet reflection apart from the on-the-spot question, my list of Bible heroes grows large. However, I'm thinking of one in particular right now. One who speaks to areas of my weakness. Speaks to my everyday life as well as my want-to-live-big-for-God life. Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was a man in the service of King Artexerxes in, I believe, Babylon, during Israel's captivity. Some of the nation of Israel escaped captivity and remained in and around Jerusalem. Nehemiah was grieved when he learned the vulnerable ruined state his ancestral city was in. When asked by the king why his face was sad Nehemiah was afraid, but he spoke up.

"Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to me, 'Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but but sadness of heart.' Then I was very much afraid."

I'll bet he was afraid! How do you tell the king you're sad because your homeland lies in ruins when, if I'm not mistaken, it was the king's nation that ruined it and took you off to be a slave?

"And I said to the king, 'Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?'"

Was Nehemiah surprised by the king's next words? Or did he smile inside - despite his fear - because he had fervently prayed for God to grant him favor and compassion before this man? 

Then the king said to me, "What would you request?"

At that moment, Nehemiah gave generations after him - millions of believers - a powerful example of prayer. It has been called an "arrow prayer", one shot to God in an instant, using few words (if any) to cover a whole gamut of need.

"So I prayed to the God of heaven." Right in the middle of a conversation.

"And I said to the king, 'If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me . . . that I may rebuild it.'"

While I love this account of Nehemiah's constant communication with God, it's not really the reason I've settled on him as my favorite Bible hero. It's the preview. The introduction. Why Nehemiah is so inspiring to me swirls around a verse that has been one of my favorites for many years. Stay tuned.