Day 9
Then I
replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants
will arise and build…”
Nehemiah
2:20
Self-confidence
is a topic that is often discussed. We are told how we must believe in ourselves.
We are further told that if we do not believe in ourselves, then no one will
believe in us. It is presented in such a way that one could believe that if
they lack self-confidence, then they will not be able to accomplish a single
thing in life.
As
we consider the life of Nehemiah, we see a man who heard a call from God and
has had nothing but opposition from the time he began. Outside of the initial
blessing of God whereby the king showed favor, everything else has been, and
will continue to be, a struggle. Opposition has come from every angle. If it was
just a few people mocking him, that would be one thing. However, men in very
high places with a lot of authority are issuing threats.
Nehemiah
has not placed his confidence in himself. He is not looking to his own skills
and abilities for success. He is not even depending on his people skills, which
he certainly had from his time as a cup-bearer. Nehemiah is dependent on one
thing and one thing alone, the God of heaven. Nehemiah knows that God can do
through him what he could never do on his own.
Through
the course of life, you will sense God nudging and urging you to do certain
things. Sometimes those things will be small, short-term projects. Other times,
those things might be larger, long-term projects. Regardless of the size and
scope, God often calls us to do things that are outside our comfort zone. When
this happens, we have a choice. We can look at our own abilities and disqualify
ourselves. Or, like Nehemiah, we can look to the God we serve and know that He
can do through me what I could never do on my own.
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