Sunday 5th June 2011
Preparing for the Task
Nehemiah 1
Throughout the Bible we hear of people with all sorts of jobs. Gardeners, shepherds, the military, politicians, carpenters, tent makers, homemakers, fishermen, priests, missionaries and many more.
Which of these might we consider to be secular and which ones sacred? Do we consider some jobs to be more important than others? More to the point do we think that some jobs in the church are more important than others?
I used to have arguments with my boss at the Fleet Air Arm museum over staffing charts – he always put his post of director at the top and I kept reversing it and putting the cleaners at the top – needless to say we never did manage to agree on this. What was my reasoning – well if the toilets were dirty, visitors would soon notice and spread the word that it was a dirty museum and our visitor figures would drop but if he didn’t turn up very few people would notice!!
The book of Nehemiah is not one we turn to very often but I feel it has some very important messages for us and I will be coming back to this book over the summer.
Who was Nehemiah?
He started out as a government worker in the employment of a foreign king. His gifting was in administration and perseverance. These gifts were to be invaluable when he returned to Jerusalem but they were also valued by the country that held him captive.
He was so trusted that he became the cup bearer of the king – a position of absolute trust, someone who tasted all the king’s food and drink to ensure it wasn’t poisoned.
Nehemiah tells us of his change of role on returning to Jerusalem – he became a building contractor, called in to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
His co-worker Ezra was a scholar and teacher, working with the Scriptures, Nehemiah worked with stones and mortar.
The stories of these two men are interwoven in a seamless fabric of vocational holiness.
Neither man was more important or more holy than the other. They needed each other. God needed both of them. Just as God needs all of us.
The book of Nehemiah begins with bad news – the survivors of the exile were in poor shape. The conditions they were living in were appalling. Jerusalem was a ruin.
His reaction was to sit down and weep. He mourned, he fasted and he prayed.
How do we respond to bad news? It is so easy to be downcast and we may be tempted to give up. Modern society has a tendency to look for someone to blame as – it can’t be our fault can it? But can it – are we really listening to God? Are we coming before God in prayer? Are we willing to put God and His kingdom first?
So the first challenge we have from this passage is the need to pray.
It is all too easy to let the business of our days get in the way, so that by the end of the day we have failed to spend some meaningful time with God in prayer. Our biggest job is to pray – only then will we know what God wants of us.
Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain.”
Read from Too busy not to Pray p 7
If we really want to hear from God then we need to learn to be still before God – Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”
Let us look at Nehemiah’s prayer in a little more detail.
God is great and awesome – our imaginations cannot contain Him. He is far superior to us – we need to listen to Him. He knows our needs far better than we ever will.
God is loyal to His covenant and faithful to those who love Him and obey His commands – God has promised that He will always be with us and that he has prepared a place for each one of us in heaven.
A covenant is a promise.
Just think of a rainbow – Genesis 9: 8-17 – every time we see a rainbow we are reminded of God’s promise to his people.
When God makes a promise He never breaks it – not the ways of fickle human beings for Him. In return we must trust him by loving Him. We need to trust Him by obeying His Commands.
This is where it starts to get interesting because God has tasks for each one of us – we all have a job to do to further His kingdom here on earth.
On an individual basis He has given each one of us special gifts – those gifts are to be used. What we often forget is those gifts may change as we go through life – it all depends on what God wants us to do for His kingdom. Have you considered your gifts lately? We are in a time of change and God may have given you new gifts to help with the task he has given us as a fellowship. Gaps need to be filled – are you just the mortar we need?
With regards to our Fellowship He has given us the task of going out into our community to spread the Good News. God brought Andrew to us to get the ball rolling, so to speak, but now the time has come for us to pick up the ball and keep it moving. Andrew has sewn some very good seeds with God’s help and it is now up to us to see that those seeds are watered and cared for. God will be faithful if we step out to do His work here in Wincanton.
God had a very specific task for Nehemiah and he was only too aware of the enormity of that task but he didn’t turn away from what God wanted him to do.
Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I am praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the people of Israel.
Nehemiah was only too aware of the sins of God’s chosen people but he asks for forgiveness on their behalf.
What I feel he is saying by asking God to hear his prayer, is that he knows the people have let God down but now there is a job to do and he needs clear guidance as to how to go about getting the job done.
Does that seem familiar?
We need to come before our Father night and day in prayer so that we may know what He wants us to do. Do you already know what is expected of you but are afraid to begin? Or are you still unsure of your role?
Let me remind you of a saying I told you about a little while ago
Prayer is not a substitute for action. It is an action for which there is no substitute.
If we want to know the direction God is taking us in then we must come before Him night and day. We must make our petitions plain and we must listen with all our might.
However, no matter how hard we pray and listen to God it will all be to no avail if we don’t then act on what we have heard.
This is not a time for prevarication, for putting off until tomorrow what we should be doing today. We need to take our courage in both hands and step out for the Lord (how’s that for multiple clichés!!)
Lets not forget the different types of prayer.
ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. If we use this as our guidelines for prayer I don’t think we can go far wrong – so I have a little hand-out for you all to put on your fridge or noticeboard or to be used as a bookmark – just as gentle reminder of what we all need to do.
Nehemiah grew in confidence the more he prayed. Is that an important lesson for us? The more we practice something the better we get. So it is for prayer.
Nehemiah assumes that God heard him and will answer his prayers – an act of faith. He is confident in God’s ability, so he asks boldly. He is familiar with history and knows God’s faithfulness to Israel in the past.
Example – Deuteronomy 30: 1-5
Nehemiah’s trust in God is a lesson for us all.
So: Think of it this way
God had a job for Nehemiah to do.
He first made him aware of the job that need to be done.
He got Nehemiah praying that someone would do it.
He revealed His will to him.
In response, Nehemiah recognised God’s plan, and was willing to be part of it.
And because it was God’s plan, he had faith to ask and believe that God would do the seemingly impossible.
So now we know what to do:
Spend time before the Lord in Prayer.
Listen to what He is saying to us.
And then act on what we are told.
The time to act is now – we have a job to do
In closing here is a message from Psalms that I felt was appropriate.
Psalm 40: 9-10
I’ve preached you to the whole congregation
I’ve kept back nothing, GOD – you know that
I didn’t keep the news of your ways a secret, didn’t keep it to myself.
I told all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
I didn’t hold back pieces of love and truth for myself alone.
I told it all, let the congregation know the whole story.
Amen