Sermon Starter for September 20, 2009...Nehemiah 2:1-8

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Permalink Reply by Teri Miller on September 14, 2009 at 9:21pm

The book of Nehemiah is such a story of perseverance to me. Such perseverance & hard work & hope, in the face of continual obstacles, nay-sayers, problems...

And yet, it all started out so 'easy' - the doors just flew open, in God's will, as Nehemiah said, "the good hand of God was on me." This first part of the story is so promising, so hopeful, of a smooth, easy journey! But of course it gets tougher. So many people come up against him, the task seems so insurmountable, obstacles at every turn.

This is where God’s people start grumbling: “Maybe this isn’t God’s will after all, we should stop beating down these doors, if things don’t work out then God’s probably not blessing it.” Or even worse: “Forget this! We’d be better off in Egypt!!” Where do we get the idea that when we obey God, when His good hand is upon us, that things should be easy & obstacle free? But I suppose humanity has always struggled so, from the Israelites seeking the Promised Land, to Nehemiah’s builders of the wall. I love how these OT books remind us that following God’s will requires hard work, patience, perseverance, in the face of enormous challenges. And that we, like Nehemiah, are called to pray, work, praise, work, seek, pray, worship, work, pray, work, hope against all odds, pray some more, worship some more, work some more…

If life moves along pleasantly & complacently, without the struggle & strain of faith journeys, then we probably aren’t hearing or heeding God’s call.

I don't think it was coincidence that brought me to the book of Nehemiah back in the Spring of 2007, when we first began the task of building our home. The project felt "called" by God - from the land, to the large size for our growing family, to the weirdness of strawbales - it was all unconventional, & a stretch, & a difficult journey of faith. Even before we had begun to face our own obstacles & naysayers in the building process, God brought me to study Nehemiah...so it is a much-highlighted & earmarked book in my Bible. Like the Israelites, when things got tough & scary, I lost faith, shook my fist at God & cried, “This is too hard! We’d be better off in our little cardboard house in Divide!” How I wish I had more often turned back to the passages of Nehemiah's struggles, and faith, and overcoming, in the challenging year or so of our building. Of course we were just building a silly house, not a holy wall around a holy city!! But perhaps the tenderness of Jesus reaches right down to where we are in our little projects, and reminds us that we can learn a measure of truth from the greatness of God’s people.

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Permalink Reply by Brenda Baker on September 16, 2009 at 8:53am

I'm sorry, but, WHAT?

Why was it not okay to show emotion? I would have been sunk...you can read how I'm doing on my face a mile away.
What is the deal with the letters?

I do love the prayers of Nehemiah One, I have used them when my own words fail me. I wish he would have written down what he said to God. I do wonder if he already had a plan and was hoping the for opportunity to talk to the King, or if God gave him the plan during the prayer. Maybe God just gave him the strength to say what was in his heart?

I know that a question I get asked A LOT is, how do you know that you are doing what is in God's will? I guess a similar question in this specific scripture is "How do you know when the good hand of my God is on me?"

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Caldwell on September 16, 2009 at 11:09am

Two things stand out to me:
1) His "sky telegram" (quickie prayer) at the end of verse 4 was preceeded by four months of diligent prayer day and night.
2) His plan was obviously thought out ahead of time, not just made up on the spot. So during the four months of praying, he was also planning. Seems to be a good balance between prayer and action, all the while trusting "the good hand of my God."

P.S. I didn't know they had Nisans back in those days. Would have made the trip a lot easier!

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Permalink Reply by Brenda Baker on September 18, 2009 at 8:02pm

I'd just like to add that the good hand of God is most definitely his LEFT
and you can't tell me otherwise. (Hee Hee)

From a lefty

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