It Takes a Person of Prayer. Nehemiah 1:4-11
It Takes A Burden. Nehemiah 2:1-8
It Takes A Vision Nehemiah 2:11-20
So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon's Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass. So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned.
16) The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work. Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach." I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us arise and build." So they put their hands to the good work.
19) But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem." Nehemiah 2:11-20
· A Realistic Vision of the Work. v.11-15
When Jesus called His disciples to the task ahead, He made it very clear, "The fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few.” He challenged followers to "count the cost" before making a commitment. Some commit before they see the magnitude of the task and then back away. Nehemiah gained a true vision of the task but did not let it deter him. The wall had been down for generations and many had seen it and walked away defeated. Nehemiah knew that large tasks demand man's availability and Gods ability.
· A Godly Vision of the accomplishment. v.17-18
Remember when the Israelites saw the Giants in the Promised Land? (Numbers 13:25 - 14:9) The vast majority were scared from pursuing their vision. But Caleb saw God and said "They are bread for us." Those who turn vision to victory evaluate the task not from just their perspective, but from God’s as well.
When Nehemiah told the people of the condition of the walls, he also reminded them of who God was. The people confirmed his vision and committed to the task alongside him. The difference between a mirage and a vision is that a vision will be confirmed by others. With this commitment the work was begun to turn the vision into a victory.
We must ask ourselves, “Are we attempting what we can do or what God can do through us?”
Scripture to Claim:
Proverbs 29:18 - “Without a vision the people perish.”
