February 16, 2026

Business by the Book

Nehemiah 2:5  And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.

Not being one that is easily intimidated, then there was that one time. I was waiting for an elevator in the downtown Marriott in Chicago sometime in the 80’s. The door opened and I stepped into the cab. Once in, I looked around and realized that I was surrounded by four of the tallest men I had ever seen. Now, I’m 6’ 3” but these guys were all at least six to seven inches taller than me. I immediately said, “Men, I’m a little intimidated, I’m never the shortest man in the room.”  They laughed and said that they get that a lot. The Phoenix Suns were in town playing the Chicago Bulls and these four men played for Phoenix. For one of the few times in my life I had to force myself to be bold enough to even speak to these behemoths.

Boldness is much misunderstood, and oftentimes underutilized. Nehemiah was bold. When the King asked him what his request was (see Nehemiah 2:4) he responded boldly. …that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it. This man was a cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:11), a man who spent his time in the castle not outside building buildings or walls. Yet, he boldly said, “Let me go to Jerusalem and build it.”  He was not a developer, a stone mason, or an engineer, and based on that which we know from the Bible he had no leadership responsibility at all. He was not a soldier, an overseer, a counselor, or a priest; he was a cupbearer. Nehemiah could have withered from the task. His heart may have been filled with a desire to build Jerusalem, but doubt in his ability, the shortcomings of his knowledge, or just plain fear of the unknown could have caused him to shrink from making this bold request.

Boldness is a character trait that successful people share. Boldness though is not the absence of doubt or fear; it is doubt and fear under control. It takes boldness to ask for a job, to ask for the order, to stick to one’s convictions, to endure gossip, malcontents and naysayers. Boldness is an antidote against intimidation.

Nehemiah knew what he wanted to do. He knew what needed to be done. When the opportunity was right he spoke up. With confidence that he could do the job he boldly asked the King’s permission. This boldness is a character trait that flows through the entire story of Nehemiah’s oversight of the rebuilding of the beloved city Jerusalem.

The next time you are surrounded by giants in an elevator be bold, even if you have to fake it until you make it.

Dr. William Howe