Nehemiah 2:1-4   And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”  Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Coming into the presence of the king looking sad was indeed dangerous.  The king could have removed Nehemiah without looking for a reason and have him executed, but Nehemiah had a relationship with God and had His number on speed dial, “So I prayed to the God of heaven.”  God showed up and touched the heart of the king.  Favor followed, and Nehemiah was given the tools needed to fulfill his calling.

You may never have access to the President of the United States, but you do have access to the very presence of Almighty God.  The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16) “So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”  (Heb 13:6)