Hi friends.Thanks for reading and staying the course with me this far in the study. Even though we are not far into it yet, I have enjoyed going back through Nehemiah and digging deep into his story. Each time I do a read through of the book the Lord teaches me something new.
As I have been reading and studying the book of Nehemiah, one of Nehemiah’s strongest qualities was his boldness. Nehemiah had his heart set on helping the people in Jerusalem rebuild the walls. He had God’s heart for the people and a passion to help the city. That was Nehemiah’s desire, but he currently had a job as the King’s cup bearer.
At the end of chapter 1, Nehemiah prays for the Lord to hear his prayers and grant him mercy in the sight of the King. This was no small task for Nehemiah. The end of verse 11 states, “Grant him mercy in sight of this man, for I was the King’s cup bearer.” Once Nehemiah entered into the Kings presence, his boss knew something wasn’t right.The king thought Nehemiah seemed sad and He wanted to know the reason. To answer his question, Nehemiah explained what was going on in Jerusalem. In turn, the king granted Nehemiah permission to go. Not only did Nehemiah share what the situation was in Jerusalem, he also knew that traveling there could present some problems. Therefore, Nehemiah requested the king write a letter and get permission for Nehemiah to pass through certain places on his journey, as well as permission to get some wood for the walls. None of the servants was to ever speak to the King in this way, but the Lord was in control and allowed the conversation with the King be in favor of Nehemiah. God gave Nehemiah everything he needed to pursue his mission. This was not going to be easy, but he was being obedient to the Lord, and pressing on. He did not let fear or worry stop him. He trusted the Lord to lead the way and to make his path known before him.
In our lives today, there is so much that we can take away from this lesson. As believers, God has given everyone of us a purpose, and He uses each of us every day even when we don’t see it. There may be times where you know God is calling you to do something whether its taking a certain job at the church, going on the overseas mission trip, helping the community with a certain event, etc. However, fear is hindering you because you can’t see the end result, or you do not feel adequate for the task. Although, as he did with Nehemiah, if God gives you the heart and desire to do something, He is going to help you do it regardless of the difficulties.
Spend some time today in the Word and in prayer before the Lord. As God to show you what He has given you the heart to do. You may already know what that is, and if so ask God to give you the boldness to move forward with a plan. Even on the hardest of days, if God has called you to it, He is going to give you the ability and grace to do what needs to be done. Take some time to read the first and second chapters of Nehemiah and see the Lord at work, and allow Him to teach and work in you. As you will see as we continue the study, Nehemiah never regretted being bold for Jesus, and neither will you.
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