Day 6


“It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.” Nehemiah 2:6-9

Extravagant favour! Nehemiah has faith in the grace of God, the realm of unmerited, extravagant favour and asks the king for authority to gain access to rulers and receive favour from them. Nehemiah taps into extravagant favour, asks boldly and it pleases the king to give Nehemiah everything he requests and more! The king not only grants Nehemiah’s requests but backs him up with his army! 
How we approach God reveals how we see Him and how we think he sees us. Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). If we know God and the gift of His extravagant favour, we will ask with great boldness! The word, extravagant means “to wander outside”. I believe God wants us to wander outside our limited, natural thinking and enter His realm of extravagant favour where God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). Elisha reprimanded Jehoash for not striking the ground with his arrows more times (2 Kings 13:18,19). He could have had more. Elisha tells the woman to collect jars that will be filled with God’s supernatural provision. He tells her, “Don’t ask for just a few” (2 Kings 4:3). Nehemiah wandered outside his limitations into God’s possibilities because He had revelation of who God is and of His extravagant favour. Don’t look at yourself. Look at God. Enter His extravagant favour today and ask boldly! He is pleased to give.

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„Und es gefiel dem König, mich hinzusenden, nachdem ich ihm eine bestimmte Zeit genannt hatte. Und ich sprach zu dem König: Wenn es dem König gefällt, so gebe man mir Briefe an die Statthalter jenseits des Stromes, damit sie mich durchziehen lassen, bis ich nach Juda komme; auch einen Brief an Asaph, den Forstmeister des Königs, dass er mir Holz gibt, damit ich die Tore des Tempelbezirkes, der zum Haus [Gottes] gehört, aus Balken zimmern kann, und für die Stadtmauer und für das Haus, in das ich ziehen soll! Und der König gab sie mir, weil die gute Hand meines Gottes über mir war. Als ich nun zu den Statthaltern jenseits des Stromes kam, gab ich ihnen die Briefe des Königs. Und der König hatte Oberste des Heeres und Reiter mit mir gesandt.“ Nehemiah 2,6-9

Extravagante Gunst! Nehemia glaubt an die Gnade Gottes, den Bereich der unverdienten, extravaganten Gunst und bittet den König um Autorität, Zugang zu den Herrschern zu erhalten und von ihnen Gunst zu bekommen. Nehemia zapft extravagante Gunst an, bittet mutig und es gefällt dem König, Nehemia alles zu geben, was er verlangt und darüber hinaus! Der König erfüllt nicht nur die Wünsche Nehemias, sondern unterstützt ihn auch mit seiner Armee! Die Art und Weise wie wir uns Gott nähern, zeigt, wie wir Ihn sehen und wie wir meinen, dass er uns sieht. Jesus sagte: ‚Wenn du die Gabe Gottes kenntest und wüsstest wer es ist, der zu dir spricht: Gib mir zu trinken!, so hättest du ihn gebeten, und er hätte dir lebendiges Wasser gegeben.‘ (Johannes 4,10).
Wenn wir Gott und das Geschenk Seiner extravaganten Gunst kennen, werden wir mit großer Kühnheit bitten! Das Wort, extravagant bedeutet ‚sich nach draußen wagen‘. Ich glaube, Gott will, dass wir über unser begrenztes, natürliches Denken hinausgehen und in Sein Reich der extravaganten Gunst eintreten, in dem Gott in der Lage ist, unermesslich mehr zu tun, als wir uns vorstellen können (Eph 3,20). Elisa tadelte Joasch, weil er mit seinen Pfeilen nicht öfter mit dem Boden schlug (2 Könige 13:18,19). Er hätte mehr haben können. Elisa sagt der Frau, sie solle Behälter holen, die mit Gottes übernatürlicher Versorgung gefüllt würden. Er sagt ihr: ‚Bitte nicht nur um ein paar‘ (2. Könige 4,3). Nehemia wagte sich über seine Grenzen hinaus in die Möglichkeiten Gottes hinein, weil er Offenbarung darüber hatte, wer Gott ist und von seiner extravaganten Gunst wusste. Sieh dich nicht an. Sieh dir Gott an. Trete heute in Seine extravagante Gunst ein und bitte mit Kühnheit! Er gibt gerne.


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