Building Something For God
Today’s Passage – Nehemiah 1 – 3
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.
(Nehemiah 2:5)
I love reading these stories about people who build something great for the Lord. Nehemiah heard that his home city, Jerusalem, was in a mess and he decided to do something about it. I see in this passage a pattern that can be followed by God’s people today as we desire to be used of Him to fulfill His will for our lives.
1 Nehemiah prayed – He had a burden for Jerusalem and the people of God.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, (Nehemiah 1:3-4)
He wept; he fasted; and he prayed for the condition of Jerusalem. When he prayed, he reminded God of the promises that God had made about His mercy on the people if they would turn back to God.
2 Nehemiah performed – he took action.
The difference between Nehemiah and most of us is that he was willing to prepare and act upon the burden that he had. So many of us have a burden to do something; but we never get to the point where we take action. In the local church, we see many people who know what needs to be done; but never actually do it. Don’t just talk about (or worse complain about it); do something about it.
3 Nehemiah persisted – He did not quit.
So many of us today allow the slightest things to knock us off course. Nehemiah did not quit because of the difficulty of the task; or from the opposition that he faced (which will always be there).
When I read these passages, I get excited about doing something for the Lord. I want to be able to say at the end of my life (and at the end of my day) that I accomplished something for the Lord.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
I was struck by Nehemiah chap 2 verse 4. When the king asked Nehemiah his request, it says “so I prayed to the God of heaven.” Nehemiah did this before he even spoke of his desire. God saw fit to put that little sentence there for our benefit and learning. Isn’t He a wonderful and gracious God?
Eileen, You got your comment up before the post was finished. Great thought!
I think it’s so easy to start something you think is going to be great and beneficial to God until the new “excitment phase” begins to die off. The segment about not quitting is vital towards the process of doing something for God. He knows what you are capable of so the discontinuation of your hard work is unacceptable. If you take on the task to do something for God, do it all the way. I believe that in order to not quit, the deed you are doing must come from the heart. Being fake or thinking of yourself first will only lead to failure. If your heart is in it for the right reasons, God will be happy with your work.
Tennyson brought a good message to the men’s breakfast today about Moses, Aaron and Hur. He challenged us to uphold God’s word by holding up the hearts of those around us who are weary from the heavy load. I’m trying to be less critical and more encourageing as I speak to people and the funny thing is I’m receiving alot of encouragement along the way. Go out today and encourage someone you may just be blessed because of it!!!