We are told that before answering, Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven. It must have been a “quickie” because it wouldn’t do to keep the king waiting. I wonder if Proverbs 21:1 came to mind: The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.
 
“If it pleases the king,” spoke Nehemiah at last, “and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
 
But Nehemiah didn’t stop there. Allow me to paraphrase what followed…
 
And, oh yes, most gracious Sovereign, while we’re on the subject, might it also please you and the queen to give me an extended leave of absence from my work here in Susa, plus letters of safe passage across Trans-Euphrates, plus the timber I’ll need to make beams for the gates of the citadel next to the temple, and timber for the city walls, and for the residence I will occupy, etc., etc.
 
“And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me,” wrote Nehemiah in chapter two verse eight, “the king granted my requests.” If all of that was not enough, the king further provided Nehemiah with a royal guard of army officers and cavalry to accompany him on the three-month journey to Jerusalem. In my filmmaking analogy, I might equate that with provision of a professional film crew and state-of-the-art production equipment. Heck, let’s include per diems and production insurance. And, oh yes, catering, let’s not leave out the catering…  And, well, you get the idea.
 
The hard work, of course, remained to be done, and at times, the task must have seemed impossible for Nehemiah and his followers. But the Lord’s gracious hand was upon them, and when all was said and done, and the building project had its grand première, “the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from far away” (Nehemiah 12:43).
 
Five stars, folks!
 
Now, thousands of years on, here am I, Cristóbal Krusen of Messenger Films, likewise finishing a God-given task, appealing to you—the kings and queens of my time—to join me in getting ’er done! Will you help me finish post-production on Let Me Have My Son?
 
Three years ago, I stepped out by faith, resolved to “get started” on this project. From day one, it seemed an impossible task. Now, we approach the end. We’re almost there.
 
Here is an appetizer of what you will see in the finished film. We call it a teaser trailer. Enjoy!

O King, O Queen, may you live forever!
 
If I have found favor in your sight, consider this. The remaining financial need is $150,000. The editing of the film, which is already well underway, will cost $30,000. On its heels comes the expense of sound design ($35K) and the music score ($50K), followed by the creation of visual effects and color grading ($35K).
 
Will you help?
 
My prayer—short and simple—is that God will guide your heart according to his will, as he did with King Artaxerxes of old.
 
If you are so led, please make your tax-deductible, year-end donation to Messenger Films.
 
Warm regards,