Nehemiah: Get in Position

Earlier this year, God gave me a fresh sense of clarity on my calling and mission. He told me to “take care of people” and “lay foundations” — both of which remind me of a specific figure in the Bible: Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was called to care for people in Israel who were hurting during their exile in a foreign nation. He was also commissioned by God to lead the charge and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah literally laid a fresh foundation for that important city in God’s story.

When I read how Nehemiah’s story unfolds, it’s clear to me that it isn’t by chance or even a “right place at the right time” scenario. It wasn’t because he was a hard worker whom God saw as a convenient way to get things done. This was personal. Just like God knows what he is doing in your life and mine, God had good plans for Nehemiah. Nehemiah cooperated with God by keeping himself in position on the field even at a time when it looked like it was game over.

Nehemiah’s Position

Nehemiah was put in a high, royal position next to the king; he was the cup-bearer and had the king’s ear. I’ve often heard people say, “If God would just give me that job, I could make a difference.” But it wasn’t Nehemiah's job that opened the door to being part of God’s plan. It was the fact that Nehemiah knew the Word of God. As he aligned his life with it, God moved him into position to be used in a specific way. Low or high, rich or poor, Nehemiah’s heart for God’s people and his belief in the scriptures never changed. You can hear both of those things in Nehemiah’s prayer after he hears that Jerusalem is in ruins (Nehemiah 1:4-11):

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

Do you hear Nehemiah’s knowledge of God’s word? “We have not obeyed the commands” and “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses.” He wasn’t just praying an emotional prayer out of sadness and desperation. He was praying from an understanding of the scriptures, reminding God of his own words — words Nehemiah was very well aware of. Because he knew God’s Word, he was able to see it reflected in the circumstances around him.

Nehemiah’s Eyes

When you keep yourself connected to God through his Word, you can see how God sees. His movements become more clear because you begin to take his view on things in your life. You will become more sensitive to how God might work and move. God knew he could trust Nehemiah because he had never taken his eyes off of God, even in a faithless and dark place. Sometimes, when it’s dark, we forget that it’s God’s words that help us see clearly.

When God gave him the resources and favor to jump in, Nehemiah recognized God at work and said yes.

Don’t miss specifically why God was able to use Nehemiah for this assignment: He was able to see what God was doing because he was already tuned in!

Nehemiah knew the Jewish scriptures — specifically the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. In Deuteronomy 28 through 30, God follows up the Law he’s just laid out with a summary of the consequences if Israel is split, conquered, and exiled. God outlines blessings for obedience, but he also details the consequences of disobedience.

Deuteronomy 28: 64-65 specifically says:

“Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart.”

Nehemiah saw his own experience through God’s words: anxious, weary, in despair, and longing. The key factor here is that he also knew this wasn’t the end of the story. Knowing God’s Word got him ready to participate in the future God had already promised!

Nehemiah’s Hope

Not long after his discouraging summary of disobedience in Deuteronomy 28, God provides the blueprint for Israel’s restoration. Chapter 30, verses 4 to 5, says:

“Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it.”

Nehemiah saw that promise of hope and clung to it, even at the darkest moments of Israel’s exile. It’s easy to look around us and think God isn’t going to do what he said, but Nehemiah believed God’s words more than his own circumstances. Even when he saw the desperation of God’s people, he had real hope straight from the words of God himself.

It was his deep understanding of God’s word that kept Nehemiah from getting lost in the despair and darkness. It was only that kind of hope that would have set him up to hear God’s calling and to an impossible plan and answer with a willingness to obey.

Be in Position

Nehemiah’s story reminded me that I have an opportunity to play a part in God’s plan here on earth, too. Every day, I can put myself in a position to be used by God. The time I spend reading the Bible and praying matters. The time I spend learning or fasting or worshiping in my car on the way to work is not wasted. It’s all the necessary groundwork to be in position. It’s making my heart and mind ready for God’s timing.

Life will keep unfolding around you, and God will always be at work to accomplish his plans. The question is: Will you be in a position to be part of it?

I recently asked the question, when God calls, will you answer? Nehemiah was in a position to answer because he knew the Word and had hope that God wasn’t done yet. Too many of us sit in despair over elections or a crushed dream or a sin of our past or a culture that’s growing darker and darker. The Word promises us that God is not done. His plan is still unfolding. There’s hope beyond our circumstances.

Jesus made a promise about what he is going to be at work doing on the earth in Revelation 21:5: “I am making everything new!” Nehemiah is our reminder to get in position, knowing that hope is sure and God has plans for you to be part of bringing that future from heaven to earth.

He could ask you to jump in any time – so get in position.

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Nehemiah: Get in Position

Nehemiah’s Position

Nehemiah’s Eyes

Nehemiah’s Hope

Be in Position

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