The Courage And Calling Of Nehemiah

How do we find out calling?

At church we’ve been talking about restoration and the power of unity. One of the books in the Bible that we discussed in our small group was Nehemiah. I wasn’t all that familiar with this book and Nehemiah’s story before this. It’s one of extraordinary leadership and courage, accenting the elements of vision, unity, and commitment.

Nehemiah was a man of action. God wanted him to leave a prominent position in the Persian government to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Nehemiah followed many exiles who had returned to Jerusalem. This assignment was a big deal to God, and Nehemiah was chosen for his organizational skills and his ability to inspire others to action. When he came to town he inspected the walls and gates and lots of folks fell in line with his directive.

One of the key elements of Nehemiah’s success was in prayer for doing God’s work and for His purposes. This quest wasn’t about Nehemiah. It was all about restoring God’s place for the future coming of Jesus. Jerusalem’s walls had been broken down and the gates had been burned. After hearing this distressing news, Nehemiah fasted and prayed for several days and received God’s calling, favor and blessing to proceed with the task at hand.