Seeing Possibilities Beyond the Problems
Nehemiah 2:7-20
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
Video for this Sunday’s service can be viewed @ Sunday, November 20, 2022
“The God of heaven will give us success.” Nehemiah 2:20
Have you bought into the subtle deception that has been continually fed to us over the past few decades? It states that:
1. “If you work hard enough, you can be anything you want to be.”
2. “You can be the best in the world.”
These lies have been accepted and promoted by many believers as well as non-believers in Jesus. Success, defined as being the master of one’s own destiny, has become an idol.
I remember in 9thgrade wanting to be the first diver in the state of Minnesota to do a forward triple somersault in competition. I would sometimes practice up to four hours each day. This became one of the most important focuses of my life at that time. My coach did everything possible to help me achieve this goal. The other divers I trained with gave me their best advice. One day after a grueling practice and numerous attempts the coach pulled me aside and said, “I don’t think it is possible for you to achieve this dive. You are just not tall enough or weigh enough to give you the height necessary to complete the rotations. I think it is time to move on.” I was devastated. I willingly admit that I broke down and cried. One of my dreams (and idols) was not going to give me the admiration I was truly looking for from others. BUT… what I then discovered in Jesus months later, has brought me more satisfaction over this life than I could have ever hoped for!
Tim Keller in his book,Counterfit Gods,describes the idol in these words:
“More than other idols, personal success and achievement lead to a sense that we ourselves are God. . . . To be the very best at what you do, to be at the top of the heap, means no one is like you. You are supreme… An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, ‘If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.’”
We all desire success, but a believer desires a different type of success than the world. Success for a Christian is the obedience to the known will of God whether that means going through trials or receiving a blessing. True success is doing what God wants for us even though it is painful, it costs us, and no one else may see it.
“When God calls you to something, He is not always calling you to succeed, He’s calling you to obey! The success of the calling is up to Him; the obedience is up to you.”
David Wilkerson
This Sunday we will continue on our journey with Nehemiah as he sees the possibilities beyond the problems he was facing!
Grateful to be on this adventure with you,
Pastor John