God often orchestrates timing,
place, position, abilities, passions and need in order to serve Him and to
make a difference. When we discover our “thing”, it can be used to demonstrate
our love for God, grow in our faith, serve others, and make a difference (both
now and for eternity). So, what’s your
thing?
Nehemiah 2:2-3 - so
the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This
can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much
afraid, 3 but I said to the king,
“May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the
city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been
destroyed by fire?”
Things to think about:
· If you’re not
very familiar with Nehemiah, you may think he was one of the great priests or
prophets from the Old Testament. In fact, he was a pretty regular guy, working
as a government official, serving the king as a cupbearer. I’m not sure how this would read on his LinkedIn
profile but basically he first tasted anything the king might drink in case it
had poison in it!
· The Jews had
started returning back to Judah after being in Babylonian captivity for seventy
years. Nehemiah was still back in
Babylon working for the king. One day he
caught up with his brother and some other men who had been to Jerusalem and he asked
then how things were going there. They
told him that the city wall was destroyed and that the people there were in
danger.
o
Nehemiah 1:4 – When I heard these things I sat down and wept.
· But he didn’t
stop there drowning in his sorrow and the tragedy of the situation. Instead, he PRAYED (Nehemiah 1:5-10)
o
Repented
o
Remembered
o
Requested
· Then, he took
a risk and stepped out in faith. He went
to his boss, the king, to ask for permission to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the
wall.
· Listen to his
humanity here, “I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live
forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my
ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I
answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in
his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried
so that I can rebuild it.”
o
Let’s not let fear keep us from going where God would lead
us.
o
In verse 2:6 it says “It pleased the king to send me.”
· Do you know
what your thing is?
o
If so, what is it?
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How has God used timing, place, position, abilities, passion, and
need?
o
How have you been changed?
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How have you seen others changed as a result?
· If you haven’t
figured out what your thing is yet, do what Nehemiah did - learn about where
there are needs and pray about your role in doing something about it.
o
Everyone has a thing!
o
It doesn’t mean you have to start a new ministry, maybe it’s
coming alongside someone or something that is already engaged in a cause you
care about
o
Let God’s Word guide you to bring His kingdom to your corner of
the world
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