"Then I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work." Neh. 2:18

Nehemiah was heart-broken upon hearing from his brother that their beloved city Jerusalem was in ruins. After many days of mourning and much prayer, he asked God to touch the heart of the king to grant him leave to return and rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem. He acknowledges God's good hand upon him in his promotion to be cup-bearer to the king. Being granted the leave of absence and with the legal right of safe passage in his hands, Nehemiah and his emotionally charged band, aided by a military escort, raced toward their homeland from which they had been displaced for 60 years. When the "Good hand of God is upon us," we too can be led and empowered to do a good work.