Have you ever been in one of those situations where there has been some type of disagreement; and when the other party runs out of rational arguments to support their position, they begin to call you names. Of course not, only children do that, right? Yeah, right. In Neh. 6, Nehemiah and the Jews continue to experience opposition; only now, it starts to get personal.
As Nehemiah and the others continue to re-build Jerusalem and their enemies see that they haven't been able to deter them, they plot to assassinate Nehemiah. Sanballat and Geshem send Nehemiah a message, "Hey, Nehemiah. Come 'ere. We wanna talk to ya." But, Nehemiah has been tipped off somehow and he makes this reply, "I am too busy doing a good work to come down."
Have you ever prayed for God to reveal His will to you, to show you what He would have you to do; only to feel as though He was ignoring you? A few years ago, God used this passage to help me discern that I needed to stop looking for something else to do, and do what He had already given me to do. You see, I get caught up in this notion that my journey with the Lord is an ongoing, gradual ascent into heaven. Only, every once in awhile, there seems to be a lull or even a downturn that I can't seem to explain. So, then I turn to God and ask Him what He would have me to do...no response. I pray about it, seek counsel, attempt to discern His voice...nothing.
I am not sure that I have it figured out; but, I don't think God expects me to sit idle and do nothing. It could be, He would have me use some of that time to rest, maybe to find other ways to refresh my spirit, focus on my own needs to grow and develop. But, I think it could be that God doesn't feel like He has to constantly be giving me directions on what next step to take. He just wants me to continue to do the work He has already given me to do.
I have this problem with my son. Though he usually knows what he is supposed to be doing, or could easily figure it out if he put some thought into it; he would prefer not to think, and would rather we just tell him what to do. Foster writes, "The development of character, rather than direction in this, that, and the other matter, must be the primary purpose of the Father. He will guide us, but He won't override us...The parent must guide in such a manner, and to the degree, that autonomous character, capable of making right decisions for itself, is produced. God does the same ("A Year With God")."
I recall, in my home church, growing up; there were those who felt they couldn't answer the phone, unless they believed the Holy Spirit led them to do so. Nehemiah prayed, but he prayed for God to give him strength; and then, he went back to work. He didn't need to ask God what to do next. He just continued to do what He had already been given to do. As a result, the enemies "lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had ben done with the help of our God."
Godspeed, Phil
As Nehemiah and the others continue to re-build Jerusalem and their enemies see that they haven't been able to deter them, they plot to assassinate Nehemiah. Sanballat and Geshem send Nehemiah a message, "Hey, Nehemiah. Come 'ere. We wanna talk to ya." But, Nehemiah has been tipped off somehow and he makes this reply, "I am too busy doing a good work to come down."
Have you ever prayed for God to reveal His will to you, to show you what He would have you to do; only to feel as though He was ignoring you? A few years ago, God used this passage to help me discern that I needed to stop looking for something else to do, and do what He had already given me to do. You see, I get caught up in this notion that my journey with the Lord is an ongoing, gradual ascent into heaven. Only, every once in awhile, there seems to be a lull or even a downturn that I can't seem to explain. So, then I turn to God and ask Him what He would have me to do...no response. I pray about it, seek counsel, attempt to discern His voice...nothing.
I am not sure that I have it figured out; but, I don't think God expects me to sit idle and do nothing. It could be, He would have me use some of that time to rest, maybe to find other ways to refresh my spirit, focus on my own needs to grow and develop. But, I think it could be that God doesn't feel like He has to constantly be giving me directions on what next step to take. He just wants me to continue to do the work He has already given me to do.
I have this problem with my son. Though he usually knows what he is supposed to be doing, or could easily figure it out if he put some thought into it; he would prefer not to think, and would rather we just tell him what to do. Foster writes, "The development of character, rather than direction in this, that, and the other matter, must be the primary purpose of the Father. He will guide us, but He won't override us...The parent must guide in such a manner, and to the degree, that autonomous character, capable of making right decisions for itself, is produced. God does the same ("A Year With God")."
I recall, in my home church, growing up; there were those who felt they couldn't answer the phone, unless they believed the Holy Spirit led them to do so. Nehemiah prayed, but he prayed for God to give him strength; and then, he went back to work. He didn't need to ask God what to do next. He just continued to do what He had already been given to do. As a result, the enemies "lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had ben done with the help of our God."
Godspeed, Phil
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