Nehemiah 1:1 – 7:5; Nehemiah 7:73b

So many practical lessons come from the experiences of Nehemiah and the people who followed him in the process of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Certainly there are some of these lessons that are peculiar to the times and the specific circumstances – just like the rest of scripture. At the same time, the Bible has application beyond the immediate and into the future. This is how God teaches us. Because of His unchanging nature, we see how Yahweh acted in one circumstance and we can anticipate how He will act in a later, similar circumstance. For us, we see how God divinely leads or inspires a chosen servant in a specific circumstance and we can anticipate how He desires for us to act today.

The story of Nehemiah is the story of a godly leader enduring opposition to encourage the people of God to carry out a divinely-sanctioned building project. We first must understand it in that light. Then, we can glean principles of godly leadership to overcome adversity and serve with the children of God to accomplish whatever works He places before us today.

For proper leadership and the greatness God desires for the church, we are in constant and perpetual need of modern-day Nehemiahs.

If we desire to achieve greatness for the church in our day, we must clearly see the pathway from where we currently are to where God wants us to be. When Nehemiah learns of the sad state of affairs in Jerusalem, he immediately recognizes the need to improve things. In his response, we learn that greatness in God’s people begins with a heart for saved people.

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4

Although removed from them by many miles, Nehemiah hurt for the hurting people of God. Godly leaders are compassionate, not power hungry. They seek to alleviate suffering and improve circumstance, rather than merely wield power.  Because of this, godly leaders pray. In his prayer to God, Nehemiah praises Him, petitions Him and confesses the sins that have caused the problem. Then, he does something remarkable, he prays out the promises of God. Nehemiah sees where they are, and knows that the pathway illuminated with God’s promises.

Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Nehemiah 1:8-11

Remembering the promises of God guides us from where we are to where He wants us to be!

If we desire to achieve greatness for the church today, we need to accurately and honestly assess the work we need to do. Nehemiah did not stroll into Jerusalem, flash the letters from the king and start barking out orders. Instead, he went out at night assess the extent of the work that “God was putting into my mind” (Nehemiah 2:12). Godly leaders understand that rashness leads to errors and apostasy. So, the first task was an inspection with a view toward what could be, as seen through the lens of hope. The church needs brethren willing and able to patiently discern instead of a steady diet of knee-jerk reactions.

In his willingness to assess and then inspire, Nehemiah accomplished his greatest feat in the whole process. He unified the people.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah 2:17-20

Notice the leadership by example and how it unites people in a common purpose. “We” and “us” accomplish so much more than “y’all” and “someone”.   They took ownership, even to the point of recognizing that this work was exclusively theirs to do. The children of God must carry out the work of God in the name of God so the world can discern His mighty hand from good works performed by the world. Church, if we would achieve the greatness God desires for us in our day, we must unite and unashamedly carry out the works in the name of our God.

When we set our minds to the Lord’s work in our day, we will encounter opposition just like Nehemiah did in his day. At that point, we will either fall into self-reliance or we will rise up and trust fully in God. Just as the attacks came at the breaches in the wall, Satan will attack where are most vulnerable, not where we are strongest.

But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.”

Nehemiah 4:7-10

Their strength WAS insufficient. By their power they could not rebuild the wall. Don’t miss the simple statement in the midst of this passage … “we prayed to our God”. There is the solution.

If we desire to achieve the greatness that God desires for the church in our day, we must acknowledge that the victory is won by our Mighty God and not by our own power. Five times, Nehemiah will acknowledge that the victory belongs to God (2:20, 4:4-5, 4:9, 4:14 and 4:20). Fear and fatigue were overcome by faith.

Godly leaders acknowledge God … and godly people follow. God blesses them with success. Just like He promises. Therein lies the greatness of the church.

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!