I want to be Nehemiah.
God spoke to him, and before he dared utter a word, he prayed to God for wisdom, guidance, clarity, words.
I want to be Nehemiah.
God called him to such an outlandish task, he had no hope of completing it without God's absolute favor. So he asked for it. He believed in it. He walked in it. Scoffers be damned, he didn't follow them anyway. He followed God. God be blessed and pass it along.
I want to be Nehemiah.
He managed to motivate men to volunteer their efforts, muscles, energy, and eventually their lives. He knew what they were fighting for, and he keyed into that purpose and spent his breath encouraging and committing to them. One writer says it this way, "He invited them to play a role in God's story". Whoa. What?
A role in God's story? But I do that! It's called parenting. It's called mentoring. It's called discipleship. It's called following the prompting if the Holy Spirit. It's called using my gifts to bring God glory.
Nehemiah did all of this and said, "yes," to being part of God's story. And he was granted favor.
His goal was not only God approved, but it was a part of God's story. That wall was protection. That wall was God's glory, and we see that repeatedly throughout this story. Men built the wall with tools in one hand and a sword in their other. I never face this level of opposition. And it shows. I am never as invested in whatever I am a part of in the same way Nehemiah and his men were passionate about building this wall.
I want to be Nehemiah.
As I step into the shoes of this new ministry, I find myself faced with so many of Nehemiah's same obstacles. The difference between us right now is that I am not Nehemiah. I am working on it.
I want to be Nehemiah.
2 comments:
I've been hearing about Nehemiah from every direction these days! We just started reading the book in our Bible readings, and my husband just came across a lesson on Nehemiah by my husband's favorite teacher, Ravi Zacharias. I never really paid much attention to him before as a hero of the Bible--but he certainly was an interesting character.
Rachel, he is totally one of good guys. He is for sure a hero of mine. Random to be sure, but his book reads like a journal. My favorite part of his story is how much it intertwines with Ezra, Esther, and even Daniel!! The time line of it all makes it more real that he is my ancestor and not just some story in a book. Thanks for your comment! Good luck with your study!
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