I love the story of Nehemiah. He was in a strange land. But he was still thinking about his home. He was always interested in news from the home front. It was always on his mind constantly, it was always right below the surface. I wonder if he dreamed of home, longed for a day when he could return. I have no idea, but Nehemiah is a portrait of a person who does not let go of his home, and his dreams.
One day someone passed through his life who had just recently been to Jerusalem. Nehemiah asked how are things there? The messenger did not have a message of joy. He told him that things were awful. The wall is down, the gates destroyed and the people discouraged. Nehemiah is heartbroken. How can this be? What could he do, being so far away? His heart broken, he poured out his heart to God in prayer. When the king sees his sad countenance, he asks Nehemiah what is the matter? Nehemiah had been praying and breathed a silent prayer and poured out his heart. In prayer he had devised with the help of the Lord a plan. He would leave and go back home and rebuild the walls and fix the gates. You see walls and gates were vital for protection in the dangerous times in which Nehemiah’s people lived. No walls, was the equivalent to having no protection from ones enemies. The people were vulnerable. Why doesn’t someone do something? Yes that is the cry of every generation, Why doesn’t someone do something. The President, the congress, the Governor, the legislature, the mayor, please someone do something. God found someone He was the some one who prayed. This is another reason why prayer is such a dangerous activity. It is in prayer that God taps on our hearts and says, hey why not you. Me? We ask! I am just the prayer warrior, I don’t know anything about walls and gates and construction and planning, and leading teams, and….
Why doesn’t someone do something? Maybe they are waiting for you and me to do something and we are so busy waiting for them to do something. So all that really gets done is a lot of waiting…and a lot of blaming others for not doing more….and a lot of off loading of responsibility upon some one, any one else, so that we, like Nehemiah can get back to our real jobs. After all the first chapter of Nehemiah closes with this statement “And I was the cupbrearer…” Notice it did not say he was the wall-builder, or the gate-fixer, he was a cupbearer. It was a responsible position of service to the king. God was preparing Nehemiah all of his life for this upcoming adventure. Nehemiah’s new journey began with a holy dissatisfaction. He would not be satisfied with broken walls and missing gates. It did not start with a plan. It did not start with a college course “wood working 101”. It started in a heart of a cup bearer, who was not satisfied with the status quo.
What is God starting to do in your life? What are you dissatisfied about spiritually? The answer to this question will determine the direction of you, and your family and your church!
