“Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 2:4). Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer. All servants of the king were required not only to be good-looking but also to appear cheerful at all times. Up to this point, Nehemiah had been able to do so. But when he heard about the escaped Jews being in great distress and the city of Jerusalem in ruins, he wept and mourned for many days. (Read Nehemiah 1:3-4.) The next time Nehemiah appeared before the king, he could not hide his sorrow. He must…