I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding. After dark I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal’s Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls and burned gates. Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but my donkey couldn’t get through the rubble. So, though it was still dark, I went up the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and entered again at the Valley Gate. The city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders—the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration. But now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work. Nehemiah 2:12-18
Have you
ever heard someone say, I wouldn’t bet the farm on it? I first heard that expression in
connection with the political season of 1959-60. It was uttered by a less-than-prophetic man
in our community, who thought that “upstart” Senator from
Massachusetts….somebody named Kennedy…didn’t have a prayer of beating out Vice
President Nixon in November. Did you
ever wish you had put aside your doubts and fears and bet
the farm on some long shot? Latin
scholars would call it carpe diem, or seize the day.
My
grandfather had a sense of that, although not in an ethical way. He ran a lottery at work just before I was
born on when his new grandchild would be born.
Nobody at my grandfather’s workplace knew it, but my mother was
scheduled for a Cesarean section on June 27th. My grandfather just kept selling tickets, and
if someone wanted the 27th, he would say, that date is taken. It was…by my grandfather. He made a killing when the doctor delivered me
on June 27th. Now, that’s a
great example of acting on an opportunity without fear, but it took no faith at
all to take advantage of insider
information.
Today we
will see that Nehemiah replaced fear with faith nine
different ways. In chapter 1 we saw that
Nehemiah, cup-bearer to the king of Persia, had gotten the bad news that his
homeland, Jerusalem was in disgraceful rubble.
The walls were broken down, and the people were severely distressed. For four months Nehemiah fasted, prayed and
mulled-over in his mind just exactly what he could do about it. He was a thousand miles from home in service
to a king who had ordered the rebuilding of
In some ways
perhaps you and I can identify with Nehemiah; he was a man of faith, not fear. I’m certain none of us have the job of
tasting the king’s food to make sure it isn’t poisoned (who would want that
job, anyway?). However, we can identify
with seeing the walls of our society crumbling (divorce, drugs, crime, homes in
shambles), and wanting to do something, yet feeling helpless.
To do
something about his nation’s problems Nehemiah had to replace his fear with faith. He had to stake it all on God coming
through. He had fasted and prayed, and
worked on plans to act – if he ever got the chance – and that’s what replacing
fear with faith is all about…being ready when God makes the impossible
possible! Let’s discover together nine
ways to replace our fear with faith, ways to be ready to do
whatever God calls you to do:
1.
When the stakes are high, pray, plan and trust God.
Nehemiah
spent four months fasting, praying, and planning. Some things require quick decisions; you
cannot spend a long time praying when you’re on a train track and the whistle
is blowing! When, however, you are faced
with a major decision, even in time of crisis, God’s plan includes including Him. The higher the stakes, the more we should
fast and pray.
The higher
the stakes, the more reason to trust God.
Replacing fear with faith means praying, planning, and trusting God to
provide an opportunity to act.
2.
When afraid to serve, serve anyway.
Nehemiah
knew how this whole situation was shaping-up to be a dangerous minefield. Navigating the political waters of
One of his
predecessors, Esther had access to the king as well. It is even recorded in the book named for her
how the Jews were subject to the whims of the king…even to death. She recorded how no servant was allowed to
come near the king with a sad face (Esther 4.2). The task itself, of rebuilding the city of
A best case
scenario of trusting God is to remember that fear has no place alongside
faith. When you’re afraid to serve,
serve anyway. And remember His promise:
When
you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43:2
3.
When told to speak, pray first.
King
Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah to tell him what he wanted. This was the invitation for which the
cup-bearer had prayed. Yet, even at this
time, after four months of fasting, praying and laying out plans, Nehemiah was
reluctant to speak before asking God one more time.
I call it an
arrow-prayer, but whatever you call this kind of request, it was
meant by Nehemiah to subject himself to the King of Heaven before he spoke to
the king of Persia. That is showing
proper respect – in good order.
And,
incidentally, a quick prayer in emergency is a good thing. We ought to keep in mind that it is not a
substitute for four months of earnestly seeking God’s face!
4.
When sacrifice calls for the best, volunteer.
I personally
believe that prior to the king’s invitation to make a request Nehemiah had not
laid out ALL the plans for rebuilding. Somewhere in those first four months Nehemiah
discovered
that God was moving his heart to be personally involved. He probably flinched when he said the words, send
me to the king.
Some of us
in this congregation would be surprised to hear the words tumble from our own
lips, send me, O Lord, send me.
We think, “I’m no Isaiah. I’m no
William Carey or Lottie Moon.” Well, my
friends, where do you suppose God gets His servants; if not here, where; and if
so, why not here? Don’t
ever try these words on God:
· I don’t speak so good….that didn’t
work for Moses.
· I’m just a kid…..that didn’t work for
Timothy or Jeremiah.
· I’ve sinned, y’know unclean lips….that
didn’t work for Isaiah or Peter.
· I’m all alone in this….that didn’t
work for Elijah. And so on…
Nehemiah,
like the man who fell off his horse and exclaimed, “Saved between the saddle
and the ground” made up his mind that he would volunteer to serve because this
called for the best, and he was willing.
Have you got
time to serve God? No? Volunteer anyway.
5.
When the task is big, plan big, and ask in faith.
The king had
entertained Nehemiah’s request to go by saying, “and how long will this
take?” Once Nehemiah’s plan was affirmed
by the king’s readiness to let him go, he understood that he had understood God
correctly. Nehemiah then asked for the
moon. That, my friends, is just an
extension of faith-asking. We understand
that God is in control.
The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1 (KJV)
Having
faith replace your fear means you pray, asking God for as many
resources as you will need – and then set to work planning out how you will
respond when God acts.
Following
God is not a game of “blind man’s bluff”.
People who think blindly wandering their way through life without regard
to the costs they inflict on others who bail them out constantly are not acting
in faith – they’re an irresponsible drain.
You cannot plan for every contingency, but you must set goals, and lay
plans to reach those goals.
Replacing
our fear with faith is acting on the truth and it includes using all you’ve got, including
your God-given wisdom. Nobody ever said
you’ve got to check your brains at the door when you come to church.
6.
When God wants YOU, don’t imitate someone else.
If you
check-out Nehemiah’s predecessor, Ezra the priest, you find that he went back
to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. He
went alone. In Nehemiah’s journal we
find that this loyal layman went back accompanied by half the Persian army.
Whatever the
reasons – and many scholars suggest many theories – it is good for us to
recognize that God uses whom He chooses. Most preachers imitate their heroes. I have a friend who sounds exactly like Billy
Graham sometimes. Now, that isn’t bad,
but if God had wanted Dr. Graham to preach the sermons my friend was supposed
to preach, my friend would be a shoe salesman somewhere.
The pastor
of my home church in Crystal River, Florida, L.B. Thomason, had a gracious way
of welcoming folks to church. With a
grand South Georgia drawl, he would intone, “Wellllcommmme, Friiieends”. Now, I couldn’t do that – I liked it, but it
just isn’t me to talk like that.
And you
don’t have to be a millionaire donor to the building fund if you aren’t a
millionaire. You don’t have to preach if
you’re not called. But, you DO
have to do what God called YOU to do! He calls and uses people in different
ways…His ways!
7.
When opposition comes, close your mouth, and open your eyes.
Sanballat
and Tobiah were local governors of Samaria and Ammon, respectively. They had had some influence in
Jerusalem. The coming of Nehemiah with
papers from Artaxerxes meant their power was diminished. So they sniped. It is true that when God decides to move it
will always disturb those who are comfortable, and who don’t know Him very
well. Nehemiah looked and looked, and
kept his observations to himself. He
knew the critics would try to derail his plans.
He pondered and focused on what God was up to.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13
Our job is
to maintain focus on who is in charge.
It is hard to do that with our mouths running and eyes closed.
8.
When it is time to speak, trust God’s people with the truth.
Betting
the farm is
a great expression for this one. When
Nehemiah gathered the people together, he pointed to the walls, the broken,
charred remains of the greatness of God’s city Jerusalem, and he said,
“Brothers, that’s a disgrace!” That was
the truth! He also said, “Brothers,
let’s put it back up!” That was
encouragement. And then, Nehemiah
trusted the people to respond. That was
the hard part…and that was God’s part.
9.
When unbelief mocks, stand firm!
Replacing
fear with faith is
all about standing firm for God and what’s right. The issue is unbelief. How do you recognize (and reject) unbelief,
so that you can stand firm, and not just stand stubborn? Nehemiah recognized unbelief when he heard
it. And he stood firm. If you want to bet the farm on anything, make
it this:
what God has
said “do” - I will do;
what God has
said “don’t” - I won’t!
I’d bet the
farm on that any day!
Title
Image: via Pixabay.com
Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation
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