Nehemiah 2:1-8 / Luke 9:57-62
The Bible tells us that God sent His Spirit into our hearts to guide us and to be our rule of life (Gal 5:16)
The Spirit guides us and helps us to be in union with God always and to seek His will in the choices and decisions of life.
In the 1st reading, Nehemiah knew he was only a slave and the king's wine-attendant.
He will lose his head if the wine did not taste good. He will also be punished if he serves the wine with an unhappy face.
So when the king asked why did he look so sad and what was in his heart, a great fear came upon him because he wanted to go back to his homeland but he was afraid that the king might get offended by it.
So as we heard, Nehemiah called on the God of heaven, and then made his request to the king.
Surprisingly, all that he asked for, even the timber for building of the Temple was granted.
Yet, it should come as no surprise to us, because Nehemiah called on the Lord first, and the favour of the Lord was upon him.
So let us remember that before we make any choices or decisions, let us call on the Lord first, so that His grace and favour would be upon us.
For without God's grace and favour, there will be no success in our undertakings, much less follow and serve Him and do His will.
Yes, we just have to call upon God first and then walk in faith, like Nehemiah did when he faced a difficult situation.
Yes, we may not be that sure, but we must have the faith to walk with God even if it's in the dark, rather than walk alone and stumble all the way.