Hope is a great starting point but a bad strategy.
Wish I could take credit for that thought, but I
can’t. It was Tweeted by Michael Lukaszewski,the CEO of the Rocket Company, last week.
It’s a thought that really resonated with me as a leader. But it’s not just for leaders, it’s a
thought for all of us. And it’s a
thought that we see fleshed out in Scripture from today’s reading in Nehemiah4.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerexes, the Persian
King who ruled most of the known world at that time. Through a desperate prayer in Nehemiah 1 and continuing with
a bargain made with the King in Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah was appointed as the
governor of Judah and was given the task of rebuilding the walls of
Jerusalem. For a more
comprehensive look at the history and setting of Nehemiah, check out thisexcellent resource by John MacArthur.
As we often see in Scripture, men and women who are being
faithfully obedient to God face significant opposition and challenges in their
efforts. The Jews under Nehemiah
were no different. In Nehemiah 3,
the rebuilding is going well. But
in Nehemiah 4, Sanballat, an influential leader in the Persian empire “ . . . flew into a rage and mocked the Jews.”
(v.v. 1&2). Eventually Sanballat and some of his cronies made plans to
come and fight against the Jews and their rebuilding efforts.
In v.9, Nehemiah declares, “But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to
protect ourselves.” Nehemiah is a man who believes in the promises and plans of
God. He has great and unwavering
hope in God and His promises. This
was the starting point for his leadership and service in God’s Kingdom.
But we also see that Nehemiah understands that he needs to
do more than hope. He needs to
work a plan according to that hope, and according to the promises of God. And we do too.
Despite the fact that in v.15 God had frustrated the plans
of the Persians who were trying to come against God’s people, Nehemiah and the
people returned to their work on the wall. Some worked and some stood guard. Some served to encourage others. The laborers took up weapons as they carried out their
work.
Nehemiah 4 really speaks to my heart, and it probably
speaks to your heart as well. I’m
a dreamer. I like to think of big
things and cast vision for how things could be. But one of my greatest struggles in life – not just in
ministry – is the ability to follow through and do the work required to see
those dreams, born out of hope in God’s promises, come to fruition.
I know that many people struggle with this as well. I’ve seen it time and time again. Church provides a great example of
this. We go to worship on a Sunday
morning. The music and worship
time really break down walls in our hearts and minds. God’s at work taking us apart. We hear a message where we walk away and say, “Wow, I think
the preacher was talking to me today.”
We fall under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and realize that we need
to repent of sin at the foot of the cross and that things need to change. We make vows and promises to God that
“things are going to be different from now on,” because we’re filled with great
hope.
The hope of God has given us a great starting point.
And then we walk out of the worship experience and life
happens. The Sanballats in our
lives come against us. We know
what God promises to us in Jesus.
But we tire of the work. We
tire of the battle. And so we kind
of give up. I know what that’s
like! I’ve been there so many
times, and I absolutely hate it.
It’s so discouraging and frustrating. I wish I was steadier and more faithful in my obedience to
Jesus. I have great hope in God
and His promises, but I’m not so good at developing and working a strategy to
make those things happen.
In Nehemiah 4, we see 3 significant themes. We see that Nehemiah and the people
were rooted and established in hopeful prayer. We need to be as well.
We see that Nehemiah and the people were rooted and established in
community and shared responsibility.
In v.20, Nehemiah said to the workers who were spread thin and
vulnerable on their own, “When
you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to where it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us.” Nehemiah knew
that he couldn’t rebuild the wall on his own, and that no individual in Israel
could either. We need to be rooted
and established in community and shared responsibility with people that will
come to fight with us and for us.
And we see that Nehemiah and the people were committed to hard work. We need to realize that there comes a point in
time where sometimes we’ve just got to grit our teeth and get to work. Nehemiah said in v. 21 & 23, “We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset .
. . During this time, none of us – not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants,
nor the guards who were with me – ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all
times, even when we went for water.”
Working a plan in accordance with our hope and God is very
rarely easy, but it’s worth it!
When you find yourself in a place where things need to change and
transformation needs to happen, make sure that you’re rooted in prayer and
community, but also check yourself.
Are you doing what you can?
Are you being faithful to God according to his promises? Faithfulness, as defined in Scripture,
isn’t merely a mental assent to the belief of God. Faithfulness is rooted in action. Allow God’s promises to give you hope, but realize your
responsibility in walking and living according to that hope. You may have to work early and late; you
may have to sacrifice some luxury in your life; but the fight never ends. Carry your weapons with you and get to
work on living out the promises of God in your life.
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