After Nehemiah heard the news of the devastation of Jerusalem, he mourned and fasted and sought God in prayer. Then in the last verse of Nehemiah Chapter 1 he adds: “Now I was cupbearer to the king.” This statement may seem cryptic, but it’s an important one.

As he considered the state of his homeland, and what might be done about it, Nehemiah realized that God had placed him in a strategic position. He was the cupbearer to the king. He had access to power, and if God opened the door, there might be an opportunity for him to do something about Jerusalem. God had positioned him perfectly for the way He wanted him to advance His kingdom and do His will.

We who live today need to see our location, and our circumstances, as similarly directed by a sovereign God. Like He did Nehemiah, God places us just where He wants us in order to accomplish His will. Peter addresses Christians in I Peter 1:1 and calls them “aliens scattered …”. The word “scattered” means “sown like seed” by the Lord. God has not placed us where we are by accident, but by His express plan and purpose.

Where does God have you now? Have you considered why He might have you there? Some of us need to ponder the question that Mordecai asked Esther: “Who knows whether you have not come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) What has God uniquely positioned you to do? Who has God perfectly situated you to influence? Nehemiah could say, “Now I was cupbearer to the king.” Where are YOU right now — and what does God want to accomplish through you there?