Nehemiah 1:5-11
Nehemiah was a leader. When he heard of the dire straits of how things were going in Jerusalem and the need to rebuild the wall, he stepped up. A good leader casts vision. A good leader inspires those around them to capture and follow that vision. And in my experience, good leaders surround themselves with even better people. People who are subject matter experts. People who are passionate about the task at hand. Nehemiah knew what needed to be done. He was putting things into motion to rebuild the city wall. With God’s leading, Nehemiah had found favor with the king. And now, Nehemiah needed to surround himself with those who captured the vision and understood the work that needed to be done. In verse 17, he lays out the situation at hand. Jerusalem is desolate, and the walls are destroyed. Mission established. Notice how in verse 17 he says, “Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we may no longer be a disgrace.” “Let’s” is a contraction of “let us.” In other words, we are in this together. Casting the vision, the team building has begun. I think it is fair to say that in all of recorded history, there has always been naysayers ready to disrupt and distort the vision for the task at hand. Verse 19 names three individuals who immediately confronted and mocked Nehemiah. How about that for a legacy for the ages? There is strength in numbers, to be sure. But more importantly, there is strength in will, and Nehemiah accomplished remarkable things because he saw the value of “Together, we can do more.” Emmanuel God is with us. He calls us as Believers to work together on His mission. God is the ultimate vision-caster. And through Christ, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.
Nehemiah was a leader. When he heard of the dire straits of how things were going in Jerusalem and the need to rebuild the wall, he stepped up. A good leader casts vision. A good leader inspires those around them to capture and follow that vision. And in my experience, good leaders surround themselves with even better people. People who are subject matter experts. People who are passionate about the task at hand. Nehemiah knew what needed to be done. He was putting things into motion to rebuild the city wall. With God’s leading, Nehemiah had found favor with the king. And now, Nehemiah needed to surround himself with those who captured the vision and understood the work that needed to be done. In verse 17, he lays out the situation at hand. Jerusalem is desolate, and the walls are destroyed. Mission established. Notice how in verse 17 he says, “Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we may no longer be a disgrace.” “Let’s” is a contraction of “let us.” In other words, we are in this together. Casting the vision, the team building has begun. I think it is fair to say that in all of recorded history, there has always been naysayers ready to disrupt and distort the vision for the task at hand. Verse 19 names three individuals who immediately confronted and mocked Nehemiah. How about that for a legacy for the ages? There is strength in numbers, to be sure. But more importantly, there is strength in will, and Nehemiah accomplished remarkable things because he saw the value of “Together, we can do more.” Emmanuel God is with us. He calls us as Believers to work together on His mission. God is the ultimate vision-caster. And through Christ, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.
Posted in Devotional