You Are More Than a Cup-Bearer: To the Friend Who Questions Her Purpose in Life.
This article is dedicated to my best friend Michelle, whom I want to thank for being a great barista, sister in Christ, and an encouragement in my life.
When I heard that my favorite coffee shop in the town over from me closed, I was devastated. There would be no more rare coffee flavors nor gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. Call me silly, but I was pretty disappointed. What brought me more joy was the fact that it was run by one of the churches in town. Besides frothy, tasty coffee of perfection, they brought Jesus to the place.
That coffee shop closed sometime in 2017-2018, closing on its one year anniversary. After it closed, I found other coffee shops, yet none of them felt like a place to enjoy each other’s company as well as Jesus’. In the summer of 2020, I came across another coffee shop. It was a spur of the moment decision when my mom and I decided to go inside together. We both agreed that we liked it and would definitely return.
Not long later, one of my now current friends Michelle had started working there. She felt called to leave her restaurant job, and she and I became friends. We were acquaintances before, but never talked as often as we do now. Being in the same age category (three years apart), we bonded over our love of coffee and Jesus.
Being a Christian, I’ve always struggled to make Christian friends. It never helps that my work schedule often gets in the way of me making it to my church events, so finding a community can be challenging. Even at college I had attended an afternoon Bible study, yet none of us girls kept in touch. It felt like I couldn’t connect with anyone. I was also very shy, so making the first introduction was never my forte.
When I came back to that coffee shop, God had set in motion a plan that I couldn’t have foretold. I found a safe place to share the gospel. Once or twice every week I went to that coffee shop, and every time I did, I saw Michelle’s bubbly smile and her chipper personality. She was always welcoming.
Things got hard for Michelle. As she found herself in the midst of unemployment, she found herself questioning where God wanted her. We had long talks about her inner wounds and deeper thoughts. I just wanted to hug her and tell her that her identity didn’t reside in being a barista.
I told her, “Michelle, you are more than a cup-bearer. You are God’s favored, His chosen, and your identity is found in Him. You are more than a barista.”
Before I told Michelle this, I had done a Bible study through the Daily Grace Co. called “Arise,” which is based on the story of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a servant during King Xerxes’ twentieth reign. He was a cup-bearer for the king himself. A cup-bearer is the man who would test and taste the king’s wines and other drinks to make sure they weren’t poisoned or tampered with. This was a very noble position, because this was a position where the king had to give his life into another man’s hands. It may seem like Nehemiah had the cruddy job, but he was well-respected by the king.
When Nehemiah had heard that there was trouble in Jerusalem, he prayed that his boss, King Artaxerxes, would show him favor to let him venture to the ruined city to help rebuild the wall that lay in heaps and rubble. Nehemiah’s prayer to God said, “Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me” (Nehemiah 1:11, NLT). While serving the king the following spring, Nehemiah spilled his heart to the king. The king allowed him to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. God had answered the prayers of Nehemiah.
The rest of Nehemiah’s story is a victorious one. The wall was rebuilt, and everyone worked together against opposition to do so. But my main point is that a king’s servant did that incredible thing. A servant, who was known alone as a cup-bearer, rebuilt a whole wall of Jerusalem. The Lord had put it on his heart to do so, and this led Nehemiah to act on God’s calling for him. God brought him a bigger project than just serving the king some wine. If God can do that with Nehemiah This article is dedicated to my best friend Michelle, whom I want to thank for being a great barista, sister in Christ, and an encouragement in my life.
Maybe you’re tackling a new job or experience, in the waiting season, or maybe feeling stuck where you’re at currently. I want you to know how important, useful, and essential you are when it comes to God’s calling in your life–including both the manageable and rocky seasons. Can you identify with any of these feelings below?
This post is for you if: You feel underqualified. Maybe you have a new job or experience God has placed you in and feel you’re not right for this position. This is for you if you suffer from poor self-esteem and self-doubt.
You feel petrified. Perhaps, you’re unsure of what purpose God has in your life while in a waiting season. This post is for you, if you’re fearful of what’s next in your story.
You feel dissatisfied. Do you feel stuck where you’re at currently and can’t see the reason God has placed you where you’re at? This post is for you if you desire more than your current life’s standards.
For all of you reading, I want you to know this: You deserve to have your cup filled, too.
For those who Feel Under-Qualified:
Before we start, I need to ask you if you could see a cup-bearer create a wall who wasn’t a carpenter or architect? I’m sure you don’t see other professions outside of those building walls. What we are trained for is usually what we know how to do. Before Nehemiah became a project builder, he was just a man, and an under-qualified man if that.
There are also other factors that keyed into the lack of Nehemiah’s qualifications. Let’s name a few:
Nehemiah had enemies.
Nehemiah had to rely on the king for resources to build and be safe.
Nehemiah needed other people to help him build.
Nehemiah mentioned that God would help them succeed; never himself.
Nehemiah had to rely on his human king to grant him favor that awaited from God.
First off, Nehemiah had enemies. Their names were Sanballat, Geshem, Shemaiah, and Tobiah. These men didn’t want to see this wall succeed, so they did all they could to try to stop this project. They mocked, threatened, and plotted. Nehemiah knew the seriousness of these men’s distaste, yet he never let it turn him around and ran in fear. As he said in chapter four, “Our God will fight for us!” (Nehemiah 4:20). The building continued.
Secondly, Nehemiah had to rely on the king for resources and safety. One of the resources he needed help with was a letter to Aspah, manager of the king’s forest, for timber involving the creation of the wall. He also needed army officials and horsemen to take him to his destination. Though he’s valued by his king, he wasn’t going to be valued by his enemies. They would’ve taken him out had he not been assisted in his journey. Once Nehemiah got to Jerusalem, he wasn’t under protection and supervision anymore.
The third thing to show that Nehemiah was under-qualified was the fact that he had to rely on the mercy and service of others to get the wall rebuilt. If he was a king, he could’ve snapped a finger, and people would get to work doing the job for him. In Nehemiah’s case, he had to recruit. He told the people of the city that he wanted to end the disgrace and rebuild the dang thing. Not in those exact words, but the urgency in his voice is obvious when we read how he speaks to the others. He needed others to be as enthusiastic and serious about this project as he was.
Fourthly, as mentioned in chapter two, Nehemiah mentioned that God would help them fulfill the needs of this project. He never mentioned how he would give the people success. He knew who he was (a servant of God), and He knew who the true giver of blessings and efforts was: God.
Lastly, I want to point out that before all this started, Nehemiah had to rely on his human king to grant him favor that awaited from God. He had to wait for the king’s permission to leave. Had he left before the king’s permission, even with the calling on his heart from the Lord, he might’ve been unprepared. He might’ve been attacked if he left without the king’s men. It’s possible that no one might’ve joined in the project. Maybe God had to let their hearts soften before they started a crazy rebuild. Plus, if he had left before ordered and allowed, he might’ve lost his job and title as cup-bearer. He might’ve been disgraced and removed from the service industry. He might’ve been imprisoned and killed. The things that could’ve gone wrong are endless, yet God had His servant (Nehemiah) wait on his boss’ (King Xerxes) approval. God let the passion burn in Nehemiah’s spirit. It was also good not to be hasty, because Nehemiah had time to talk back and forth with God about his ideas, feelings, and thoughts. He also had time to mourn and feel what he needed to do that would eventually drive him into the role of a leader. Before Nehemiah became a project builder, he was just a man, and an under-qualified man. Despite this, God blessed him with possibility and strength in other areas through other people.
Our inexperience and lack of credentials can challenge us. For you, it might be a friend, a coworker. Maybe you’re given the resources you need where you lack to get the job done. Maybe you don’t have the best self-esteem, and maybe you do doubt yourself. That’s normal. Know that whatever we build in the Lord’s name for His glory will indeed stand! If our foundation is God, our projects will stand. As Nehemiah said, “The God of heaven will help us succeed” (Nehemiah 2:20, NLT).
2. For those who Feel Petrified:
I think Nehemiah’s story is not only an inspirational, motivational biography, but it’s also a representation of how God places us where He wants us. You are not just a cashier, waiter, delivery driver, teller, or barista. You are God’s project builder. Our purpose is bigger and greater than we could’ve predicted. Our jobs may seem ordinary or small, but our positions are crucial to the here and now and the well-being of the future. Like I told Michelle, we are never too small to be used by God. We reflect His glory with our servant-like attitudes and our willingness to give and love others. Even if it’s being below someone else.
Nehemiah, as mentioned before, was a cup-bearer and a servant to the king. He was below the king but honored by his well-known, trustworthy position. The book is unclear of how long Nehemiah had been under that position, yet the king respected him. Nehemiah was also a godly man who went to the Lord with his concerns. Once he was informed by one of his brothers, Hanani, of Jerusalem's wall destruction, Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed to God for days. I find it amazing that he kept himself in the Lord. He unraveled before God with vulnerability and honesty. He didn’t run to his brothers. He didn’t run to the king or the king’s nobles; rather, he went to his heavenly Father. He knew that no one could address his concerns as thoroughly as the Lord Himself.
Maybe you’re thinking that Nehemiah had the better end of the stick. He was under the king’s supervision for most of the journey, so of course, he might’ve had more perks than say you do with your current situation. What if you’re not in the best state mentally, physically, and spiritually to compare yourself to Nehemiah? Maybe you’re feeling trapped in a space of waiting for the Lord to act. If that’s the case, I want to bring up another cup-bearer who had favorable yet worse circumstances
First off, Nehemiah wasn’t the only one God had favor on who was a cup-bearer. There were other cup-bearers in the Bible to other royal kings and influential people. A good example I have for you is told in Genesis chapter forty. If you’ve ever read the story of Joseph, you probably know that Joseph was the outcast from his brothers. They hated him so much and couldn’t bear to kill him, so they had sold him for coin. Not long after, he was later imprisoned in Egypt. When Joseph was in prison, Pharaoh had imprisoned two of his own workers who had offended him. They were in the same cell as Joseph. Joseph being the good man he was, he looked after the men who had been sentenced there.
As we continue reading, we learn that the workers imprisoned were the chief cup-bearer and the chief baker. They explained to Joseph what they had dreamed the night before. We see that Joseph depicts the men’s dreams. The meaning of the cup-bearer’s dream was that Pharaoh would lift him up and restore his position as his chief cup-bearer. Pharaoh had his birthday celebration three days later, and he summoned the cup-bearer to his former position so that he could hand his cup to the Egyptian ruler. As Joseph had predicted, the man was freed from his sentence and merrily returned to working at the palace. Unfortunately, as predicted through the chief baker’s dream, he was not as fortunate as the other guy.
Through this situation in the story of Joseph, we see that being favored by God is a big deal. Even when we are petrified of the future asking what’s next, God will provide a means to get to where we need to be. Yes, the chief baker didn’t have the best outcome, yet we see how different our fates play out when we have God’s favor on us.
If you’re still feeling petrified, remember that God makes a way for those who are His. Because we are on the winner’s side, we have no reason to let our fear outweigh our trust in the Lord and His plans. As Nehemiah said, “Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!” (Nehemiah 6:11, NLT).
3. For those who Feel Dissatisfied:
Okay, let’s say you do feel dissatisfied with what you’re doing. Maybe you’ve been at this job for a while now, and you’re over it. Maybe you’ve felt you learned all you could there. Maybe you feel like you’re worth more with all the experience and knowledge you have, yet you’re not getting much for it.
I’ve been told by some friends that they feel they’ll never find that career or job they’ve gone to school for. They’re still paying off debt from the tuition bills wondering where this job is that they were promised. Where is the pay they were promised? Where is the recognition and appreciation?
I want that satisfaction for you, too.
Friend, I can’t guarantee you how or when God will bring you into that place you want to be. Yet, I can tell you this: Nehemiah had no clue that he would go from a cup-bearer to a project builder. How could he have known that he would collaborate with others to fulfill the desire God placed on his heart? All he did was obey God with the intent to serve Him and his people. He became part of something bigger than what he was originally. I’m sure he had no idea that he would become the governor of Judah for twelve plus years after rebuilding that wall. Yet, isn’t God amazing for what he did for His servant? I’m sure we both want the same for ourselves.
Dear reader. . . It is THROUGH YOU that God can bless others in extraordinary ways. You are worth the time, energy, and effort. I can understand if you’re still panicked about what to do with yourself. I’m sure you still have questions, and that’s okay. Take them to God. He will answer them. As Nehemiah said, “O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those who delight in honoring You. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it in his heart to be kind to me” (Nehemiah 1:11, NLT).
Whether it’s for today or two seasons later like it was for Nehemiah’s prayers to be answered, remember that God is faithful to you. He will answer you, but it will be in His timing. All you need to do is trust and wait.
Listed below are some reminders to encourage you before we part ways. As seen in Nehemiah’s story, we can be reminded of the following:
God will help you succeed.
God will fight for you.
God will bless you for what you’ve done for people.
God will protect you.
God keeps His unfailing love for you.
Your hardships are not insignificant to God.
God favors you.
Before you exit this article, I have a few self-evaluation questions for you. Take the time to answer them in your notebook, tablet, whatever you got!
Thank you for reading. I pray that this article blesses you and anyone else who might need it. If you feel that this would encourage a friend or family member, send this article their way. God bless, and much love sent your way from me to you.
LOVE,
BRENNA
Self-Evaluation Questions:
Is your main goal to serve others or yourself?
Are you willing to work to fulfill God’s desires for you over your own?
Is there a team effort between you and God in your current circumstances?
What can you do to remind yourself that your work is important?
How have you blessed others while doing your job?
In what ways can you remind yourself that you are favored?
What fruits of the Spirit did you harness and/or grow in this season?
What are God’s promises for us in the future of uncertain times?