“And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire” (Nehemiah 2:13).
TEXT — Nehemiah 2:9-18
Message
More than 1,200 years separate the periods of the ministries of Joseph, the son of Jacob, and Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah. Yet, the Holy Spirit, not bound by time and territory, repeatedly revealed precious wisdom to succeeding generations as they faced critical moments of decision making. When Joseph was given a national assignment to save Egypt, he first did a country-wide survey. Many years later, as Nehemiah got set to rebuild Jerusalem, he depended on the Lord’s guidance to first scan the environment before embarking on the work.
No matter the enormity of work envisaged by Nehemiah in Jerusalem and regardless of the preparations he had made before his trip to Israel, he still must match them to a first-hand knowledge of the terrain. The Lord directed him to go alone through the city, getting information about the extent of damage and destruction done to the walls of the city. Such scrutiny would help to draw an effective plan of action.
The Lord’s strategy for Nehemiah worked because he and his group of faithful Jews eventually rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, despite the hostilities mounted against them. When we are enlisted for any service, we must never overestimate our skills, education and resources against the counsel of God. We must still ask the Lord to show us the way.
Sadly, today, many people rush into the day without spending quality time with God and His word. All believers must emulate Nehemiah who, in spite of his connection to the palace in Shushan and the great royal provisions he got for the work in Jerusalem, still humbled himself to ask for divine guidance before starting his project.
Thought for the day
The most brilliant ideas are doomed to fly low without God.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
