A Matter of Thrones
Read Nehemiah 2:1-10
Two thrones were involved in Nehemiah’s experience that day: the earthly throne of the king, and the heavenly throne of the Lord. And before Nehemiah asked the aid of Artaxerxes, he looked to God for wisdom and strength. No wonder he knew the blessing of “the good hand of God” upon his life!
Perhaps Nehemiah was claiming the promise of Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water; he turneth it whithersoever he will.” This much is certain: the man who gets a hearing at the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) never has to fear the man on any earthly throne.
It is wise to keep your thrones in order. Before you talk to men about God’s work, talk to God about the men. Before you turn to men for the weak help they can give, turn to God for His abundant provision. Christians who are habitually at the throne of grace never have to beg before men.
Esther 4:2 informs us that no man was permitted to enter the presence of an Oriental king if he was dressed in sackcloth. You dare not bring any unhappiness or distress into the king’s court! Furthermore, the king might reject you and cast you from his presence! Not so with our heavenly throne of grace. We may come boldly, at any time, with any burden, and our King-Priest will hear us and answer.
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. . . . Let us draw near” (Heb 10:19-22).
(Copyright, Warren W. Wiersbe. First appeared in Thoughts for Men on the Move. May not be copied or reproduced without express written permission of the author.)
Dr. Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019) was an internationally known Bible teacher, author, and conference speaker. He graduated in 1953 from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. While attending seminary, he was ordained as pastor of Central Baptist Church in 1951 and served until 1957. From September 1957 to 1961, Wiersbe served as Director of The Literature Division for Youth for Christ International. From 1961 to 1971 he pastored Calvary Baptist Church of Covington, Kentucky south of Cincinnati, Ohio. His sermons were broadcast as the “Calvary Hour” on a local Cincinnati radio station. From 1971 to 1978, He served as the pastor of Moody Church in Chicago 1971 to 1978. While at Moody Church he continued in radio ministry. Between August 1979 and March 1982, he wrote bi-weekly for Christianity Today as “Eutychus X”, taught practical theology classes at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and wrote the course material and taught a Doctor of Ministry course at Trinity and Dallas Seminary. In 1980 he transitioned to Back to the Bible radio broadcasting network where he worked until 1990. Dr. Wiersbe became Writer in Residence at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids and Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. In his lifetime, Dr. Wiersbe wrote over 170 books—including the popular Be series, which has sold over four million copies. Dr. Wiersbe was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).
