“My daddy can fix anything” – I
don’t think my kids ever said that, they know my skills are pretty puny when it
comes to fixing things.
My father was an innovator, but
I never was one. That is probably why I
hold such people in awe. They see
something that needs to be fixed, or they see a better way of doing things and
then, what seems like magic to me, they get it done.
The kids are pretty independent
and seem to have received the gene that skipped me from my father and they
utilize both my father’s and Carla’s father’s skill with tools.
But Carla can fix just about
anything, so the kids come to her with things they have difficulty with – at
least in some areas.
I was reminded of that when, on
the eve of their trip, something was broken.
The call came in, “Dad, is mom there?”
She took care of it.
Blaze and Wanda are still
feeling their way around each other, but it is encouraging – when Blaze used to
be stressed he was shake uncontrollably.
It rarely happens anymore, but on occasion it still happens; thus far, no
sign of it with Wanda.
Now if we can just get her
routines and ours coordinated I do believe we will be successful in caring for
her. Just a matter of time.
Nehemiah
2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please
the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest
send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build
it.
Interesting book, Nehemiah. He received word of how the city of Jerusalem
was decimated and his heart was severely troubled.
Here was a man with a vision, he
was willing to give up his ‘easy’ life style to go to Jerusalem and rebuild
it. His heart grieved him because the
city chosen by God to be the ruling city of the Israelites and a symbol of Him,
had been destroyed and the people left in disarray.
He wanted to go to Jerusalem and
he needed the King’s permission to do that.
He obtained letters of permission to show to the various governors whose
land he would traverse. He needed
approval from the King to obtain the necessary materials to finish the work.
His passion convinced the King
to give him those documents.
Nehemiah 2:18-20 Then I told them of
the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had
spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened
their hands for this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the
Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard
it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that
ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
20 Then answered I them,
and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his
servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial,
in Jerusalem.
He arrived. Then later, late at night, he surveyed the
desolation of a city that once reigned supreme in the land, now it was but a
remnant marking God’s judgement on His rebellious people.
He told his vision to others and
they were inspired to do the work. He
was mocked and laughed at, but, he moved forward and those he had recruited
worked.
He imparted the vision, but he
could not do the work himself, most of Chapter 3 is donated to the workmen who
led the different parties to accomplish the task.
The naysayers attacked the
workmen who had to carry weapons to fend them off – yet they continued on.
It took approximately a year,
but the city was repaired.
All because Nehemiah grieved for
the city and the ruins it had become – not for his own pride, but to reestablish
the rightful place of God in this community.
God blessed his work, His Spirit
infused the workmen and they responded to Him.
Nehemiah
1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these
words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and
prayed before the God of heaven,
BUT he started with prayer.
AND it wasn’t a short, Lord what
should I do? Then proceeded.
He poured his heart out to
God. He worshipped Him, He pleaded with
Him, he reminded God of His covenant with His people.
BUT, He knew that the
destruction of the city came about because they had sinned and he confessed that
sin to God.
AND, asked for God’s
forgiveness.
AND, he fasted.
AND, he prayed for several days. Not just a moment or two, not just an hour or
so, but for several days.
THEN and only then, when he felt
he had the blessings of God he went forward with his mission to rebuild the
city.
Because of his dedication to
God, he was successful in his endeavors and became the governor of the area –
placing his focus on the people and not what he could attain for himself.
Many times have I started an
endeavor for God with just a thought or a burden – without taking the pains
taking time to pray with all my heart and being.
God blessed a lot of those
activities, but there were always some set-backs that could have been avoided
with prayerful planning, instead of self-reliance.
Nehemiah was high in the King’s
court, but there is nothing I have read that indicates he was a master builder
or, prior to this time, was a great leader of men.
Once again, God used the heart
of a man to accomplish His work. A man
who opened himself up in passion for righteousness and God filled him with the
ability to get the job done – seeing it through to the end.
We all have abilities – great or
small – that can be used in God’s Work.
However, no matter how great those abilities may be if we are not fully
invested, meaning dedicated to God with a heart open only to Him, we will not
accomplish anything near what can be done for Him.
Nehemiah did his
‘homework.’ He prayed.
We need to take that example to
heart. God can use us, we just need to
open our hearts so he can tell us how HE wants to use us.
We need to listen to the Holy
Spirit and follow His directions rather than telling Him how it should be
done.
AND it begins with prayer.
We also need to understand that
when we work for God, especially in those things that God is immersed in, satan
will bring naysayers and trouble makers against us and the project.
If we have broken through with
prayer, are grounded in the Word and we have the assurance of the true leading
of the Holy Spirit, then God will make sure the outcome is completed to give
glory to Him.
May we open ourselves up to Him,
may we understand that obtaining His leading through His Holy Spirit comes from
bowing before Him, praising Him, laying our burdens on Him and then LISTENING to
Him.
There is a process to be
followed in accomplishing anything for God, and it starts with prayer.
Later, Art :-)
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