Prayer in Action, Day 14 Pray and act. Again, Nehemiah combines the prayer needed with the action required. Read Nehemiah 4:6-9. The work continued, but so did the threats. As the people made progress and God blessed the work they were doing, those who were in opposition to them became more aggressive. They upped the ante. The opposition increased and turned into not just ridicule, but actual threats of action. Nehemiah did what he had to do to protect the people and the work that God was doing. He prayed to God. And he posted a guard. It’s important to make sure that we are asking God for help and…

Prayer in Action, Day 13 Back to prayer. We have seen Nehemiah in action for the last little bit and now he is back to prayer. Read Nehemiah 4:1-5. So much work was done in chapter 3. We saw gates hung and walls rebuilt and the people coming together to truly accomplish all of God’s purposes and plans. However, that’s usually when the enemy starts to strike hardest. As we see coming forward, now the people are being ridiculed. How do we respond when we are being ridiculed by others? We pray. It is not our job to defend God’s plan and purpose in our lives. That’s God’s job. We…

Prayer in Action, Day 12 Are we agile? As we continue reading through the list of those who built the wall, we see some other characteristics. Read Nehemiah 3:22-32. As we continue through the list of people who built on the wall, we continue moving around the city of Jerusalem. We see so many different types of people working on building this wall. Interestingly, we realize that for many of them, building a wall was not their primary profession. In this last verse, verse 32, we see goldsmiths and other fine metal artisans involved in a simple construction project of building a wall. The question that came to me, are…

Prayer in Action, Day 11 Everyone plays a role. As Nehemiah’s plan moves forward, everyone participated, even if it was just a small part. They were all mentioned and listed. Read Nehemiah 3:13-21. We all have a part to play. As you read through through this chapter and the list of names and places that were rebuilt because of Nehemiah’s boldness and follow through on God’s plan, we quickly realize that some sections are larger than others. Some people did more than others. Some people didn’t do as much. Yet, all were listed here. It’s important to understand that our obedience to God is enough. The quantity of the impact…

Prayer in Action, Day 10 Do the work. The people heard the vision that Nehemiah had and they accepted it and got busy. Read Nehemiah 3:1-12. Everyone had a role to play. They people were focused on doing there work that God had set before them. Even the daughters of one family got involved were building the wall. It doesn’t matter who we are or what we are doing, God has a place for us and work for us to be doing. Are we getting done the work that God has for us?

Prayer in Action, Day 9 How do we respond to opposition? Certainly, Nehemiah was in an interesting position. He had just spelled out the master plan God had given him. And right off the bat, opposition. Read Nehemiah 2:19-20. As we face opposition, what do we do? This should have been a high point for Nehemiah. After explaining what God had shared with him, the people were excited and on board. This was a high point for Nehemiah. And what happens directly after? Opposition. This seems to be the way things always work. God moves in amazing ways and as a result, Satan moves as well. People rise up to…

Prayer in Action, Day 8 Cast the vision. As we continue, we see that Nehemiah made the journey around the city to truly see exactly the state and the condition everything was in. Read Nehemiah 2:14-18. Now that Nehemiah knows exactly where things are at, it’s time for him to actually share the vision that God has given him. He speaks with the people and explains to them why he has come and what God has put in his heart to do. Nehemiah waits to share that vision until the right time, but when the time comes, he shares it with all the people. How do we share the visions…

Prayer in Action, Day 7 God’s plan. Nehemiah knew that God had given him a mission, but he had not yet shared that with anyone. Read Nehemiah 2:11-13. Nehemiah knew he had to do something. He knew that God had given him a goal and a mission. He probably even had a basic idea of what that mission entailed. However, he didn’t start by giving orders. He started by assessing the situation. Nehemiah went around and actually took a good long look at the current state of the city. When God gives us direction and a plan, do we seek to understand how he wants us to implement the plan?…

Prayer in Action, Day 6 Opposition. It never fails that whenever you are doing God’s will, you will experience opposition. Man’s opposition. Read Nehemiah 2:10. Nehemiah has shown up and is excited about doing the work that God has him to do. However, opposition is not far behind. There are 2 individuals who are not happy about his arrival. Interestingly, they don’t even know why he’s there yet. They are simply not happy about the fact that someone who cares about the Israelites is there. We don’t even have to disclose our plan before we will find ourselves meeting opposition. Sometimes just the fact that we care about the things…

Prayer in Action, Day 5 Giving credit. Do we recognize why we have blessings in our lives? Do we give credit where it is due? Read Nehemiah 2:6-9. With all the requests that Nehemiah made, and the fact that the king granted them all, it would be very easy for him to think that the king just really liked him, or that it had to do with how good of a job he had been doing in his role as cup bearer. Yet Nehemiah didn’t do any of those things. Instead he gave the praise where it was due, to God. Do we praise God and give him credit for…