7. Let’s Build! (Nehemiah 2:18)
Posted by Doug | Filed under Nehemiah: A Leader of Purpose & Priority
Hi and welcome back! Let’s pick up right where we left off.
Nehemiah has just cast a convincing vision and the people responded by saying, “Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem!” Nehemiah’s vivid description of their preferred future moved them to action. What unfolds over the next 7½ weeks is nothing short of amazing. In just 52 days the security perimeter of the city is reestablished. All that in less than two months!
But don’t be naïve! The 52 days of construction was to Nehemiah what harvest time is to the farmer. Make no mistake, harvest is hard work but it only represents the final relatively short portion of the growth season. If a farmer harvests it is because of disciplined work and patience that goes unnoticed except by a few—that is, until harvest time! For months and months before, the farmer has labored in anonymity. Such is the case with Nehemiah. He led the people and together they erected the walls in an impressively short period of time.
But I repeat, don’t be hoodwinked into thinking all this was microwave fast. Before the first stone was set in place, Nehemiah had been on the job for months, likely even years. He had been observing, learning, planning, praying,…quietly laying the foundations upon which the entire plan now rested securely. Nehemiah had:
• Heard from God, instructing him to move from cupbearer to builder,
• He had asked for God’s favor and blessing,
• Received the king’s approval and resources to proceed,
• Planned how to organize the work,
• Prepared for conflict and braced for the inevitable opposition that would come,
• Presented the vision convincingly,
• And so much more!
Nehemiah had planned his work in prayer, then at harvest time, he worked God’s plan. And that is how wise leaders roll. Jesus spoke of good planning on many occasions, one being in Luke 14:28, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?” Success demands forethought.
Management is about today but leadership is about tomorrow. The best Ranger leaders are both good managers and good leaders. Godly leaders are futurists. They discern what God is about to do, how he is about to do it, and they get themselves and those around them right in the middle of it. That is leadership.
If you want to hear those around you say, “Let’s build,” as Nehemiah did, that is, if you want to rally those around you to achieve a brighter future for boys and young men, then you too must be prepared to put your heart and soul into the front end to gain that harvest on the back end. Leadership requires disciplined time in obscurity seeking God’s direction, favor, and future.
You and I know that a growing business or church or ministry is not the result of luck. It is the result of a long series of private victories won long before anyone noticed the grand public victories. In Royal Rangers our victories are won as we spend time in God’s presence, investing time on our knees, in God’s Word, by seeking godly counsel, by fully developing the talents God has gifted us each with,…. As we do, God will shape and use our lives for something big and noble and worthy of his Kingdom; He will lead us on an exciting and expectant adventure.
Take it from Nehemiah. He recognized the need, talked to God about it, carefully laid the groundwork, and then met the need. But meeting the need was only the tip of the iceberg. It was preceded by strategic efforts unknown except by a few.
How about your favorite television program? Behind that broadcast stands an entire studio that invested thousands of hours in that 30-minute program. That half-hour sermon your pastor delivers each service represents hours and hours of disciplined preparation and prayer.
If our Royal Rangers ministry –if your ministry– is to truly meet the needs of the boys and young men in your church and community, it will be only because you let the Holy Spirit lure you into God’s presence to hear his heart on the matter. It will be because your pastor was part of the process and it complements his vision. It will be because others equally bought into the cause. It will be because you refused to passively hope for good and began to actively pray and plan for it.
It was no accident that the people said to Nehemiah, “Let’s build.” It was planned for. It was obvious to everyone that God’s hand and timing was at work because one man had submitted himself to God and had paid the price to prepare the stage for success.
As we look across the nation, the stage is set for Royal Rangers to flourish at a new level—for us to “influence more boys and young men than ever, more effectively than ever.” What are you doing to prepare for the greatest harvest you have every seen? Look around you, what are the needs you can meet that will further your pastor’s vision for the community as you focus on future men? Talk to God, talk to your pastor, and get ready!
God is looking for Nehemiah-like Ranger leaders who listen to him and are prepared to pay the price for God’s purposes to be accomplished. Rangers, let’s build!
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