Scripture Lesson
2 1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, the king was about to be served wine. I took the wine and gave it to the king. Since I had never seemed sad in his presence, 2 the king asked me, “Why do you seem sad? Since you aren’t sick, you must have a broken heart!”
I was very afraid 3 and replied, “May the king live forever! Why shouldn’t I seem sad when the city, the place of my family’s graves, is in ruins and its gates destroyed by fire?”
4 The king asked, “What is it that you need?”
I prayed to the God of heaven 5 and replied, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, please send me to Judah, to the city of my family’s graves so that I may rebuild it.”
Go Deeper
Today’s Micropractice:
Concentration, or serious focus always helps us achieve our goals. But putting our focus, first, on God is even more important. What sort of habit can you cultivate to help you go to God, first, before you start to work towards your goals?
For Children
Concentrating on something really hard helps you focus on what you need to do to learn something new or do something you’ve never done before. Sometimes we need to give God some serious concentration too. God always shows up for us when we need Him, but maybe we need to start thinking first of God. Dedicate some time to memorizing an important verse of scripture today.
