Yesterday at Northside we took time to examine how God moved
in the life of Nehemiah to clear a way for him to fulfill his call. If you
remember, we looked at chapter two where we saw that Nehemiah had a God given
burden. This burden led Nehemiah to spend the better part of four months in
fasting, prayer, and preparation.
Then, we saw how God provided a door of opportunity. In
almost surprising fashion, the king asks Nehemiah what he is requesting. This
allowed Nehemiah to share his heart and desires with the king.
As Nehemiah is given this opportunity, we see him exercise
extraordinary wisdom. Knowing full well that the king had stopped the
rebuilding of Jerusalem, Nehemiah is careful not to mention the city’s name. He
speaks of Judah, the city of his fathers, and the city of his fathers’ graves,
but never utters the name Jerusalem.
In the end, we see that the plan works. The king asks Nehemiah
what he needs, and Nehemiah had a plan of action. Very quickly Nehemiah
expresses what he needs and the king grants it.
Nehemiah is no fool. He recognizes that his success is not a
result of his own brilliance or skill. He knows that he has only been
successful because of God’s favor.
As this pattern unfolds in the life of Nehemiah, we get a
clear picture of how God moves and works. I pray that God will move and work in
a similar fashion at Northside. In the days and months ahead, look for your God
given burden. What is God calling you to do? What is God calling NBC to do? As
God makes Himself clear, look for that door of opportunity.
We must be careful to seek God’s wisdom when we begin to
pursue His direction. Human wisdom will never get us through. Remember that
James 1:5 tells us, if we ask God for wisdom, He will give it. As God grants
wisdom we can develop a plan of action in order to move forward. With God’s
guidance our plans will exceed what we could ever accomplish on our own.
And, as is always true, we must give praise and honor to
God. Just as Nehemiah recognized God’s hand of favor, so should we. Anything
good, anything exciting that happens in our midst is not our own doing, but the
gracious hand of God in our lives.
Points of Praise for this week:
Both the Collective and Praise Kids Choirs kicked off
yesterday. I have not heard numbers, but it looked as if we had a great turn
out. We also kicked off seven Adult Journey Groups. Again, I have not heard
numbers, but I know we had around 70 adults present. Remember, it is our desire
to see every member in worship, in a group, and on a ministry team. Pray about
where God would have you engage.
Honored to be your pastor,
Darrell
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