Most everyone has good intentions.
Some people know what actions will make dreams come true.
But few people have a real road map to turn intentions into actions. That’s why life just happens to many people. I said this last week: Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose. It takes vision to end up somewhere on purpose. But it takes even more than that!
Someone said, “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”
How to turn your intentions into actions
Series: Here’s Hope: Rebuilding a broken world
Text: Nehemiah 2:1-8
The setting: about 500 years before Christ in a Persian king’s court.
The main character: Nehemiah, cupbearer to the king of Persia. At each meal, he tested the king’s wine and food to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. Since he was so close to the king, the cupbearer was a man of influence.
The situation: Several decades before Nehemiah lived, God’s people had been defeated by the Babylonians. Jerusalem, the holy city, had been leveled. The leading citizens had been carried 1,000 miles away from Israel. In Nehemiah’s day, Persia was in power. Some of God’s people were given permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild a broken down temple and a broken down city. But very few people lived in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was a city of ruins.
The problem: How to rebuild a broken-down city.
Last week, I asked everyone to identify something broken in their lives – to pinpoint a wall that
needs to be rebuilt in their own lives. Then, we looked at what it takes to get vision – something necessary for every rebuilding project.
A person with vision sees the need, feels the need, shares the need, and meets the need.
Today, we want to think about what it takes to turn vision into reality. Nehemiah had already turned his problem into a possibility. Nehemiah’s heart was set on going back and helping to rebuild the city. He had good intentions. Now, he’s developing a plan of action.
I see at least five lessons for me in this passage. Maybe they will help you, too.
To turn intentions into action…
1. Be patient:
Spend some time in God’s waiting room. v. 1a.
God often puts us in His waiting room to keep us from rushing around trying to do in our own strength what only He can do.
We can see this idea throughout the Bible.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:13
Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
Psalm 37:34
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word I do hope.
Psalm 130:5
One reading of Isaiah 28:16 says, “He who believes will not be in a hurry.” Are you willing to spend time in God’s waiting room? To see this truth in Nehemiah we’ll have to turn back to 1:1.
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol…
Chislev corresponds to our December. Now, look at 2:1.
1 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes…
Nisan corresponds to our April. Four months passed between Hanani’s visit from Jerusalem to his brother Nehemiah in chapter 1 and the events in chapter 2. For four months, it seemed like nothing was happening.
Nehemiah had a vision to meet a need. And over time, the burden grew deeper and deeper. It lasts. A vision from God is long-term. It grows stronger with time. Over time, a God-given vision grows deeper – the burden grows stronger. You’ll find that it’s OK to be in God’s waiting room.
You’ll learn that when you’re in God’s waiting room, He’s always at work behind the scenes. The temptation for us is to think that nothing’s happening. So we want to get out there and make something happen. But resist that urge. Do not run ahead of God.
As you study this passage, you get two clues from Nehemiah about what to do while waiting.
Two things to do while waiting…
Passionately pray.
On Wednesday we learned that the prayer in chapter 1 can be a model for us in our prayers. Prayer in God’s waiting room exalts God, admits sin, reviews truth, and requests help. It’s a good outline if you don’t know how to pray about what’s broken in your life. Write the outline down and use it.
Nehemiah and his friends prayed consistently like this for four months. The moment Nehemiah saw the need and felt the need, he fasted and he prayed. He didn’t dash off to do the task the moment the need was known. He knew that before he could be successful in any work for God, he had to be sure that God was calling him and he had to have the favor of the king.
True determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined nature. Oswald Chambers
If we truly passionately prayed in God’s waiting room, there would be far fewer people who start well and then finish poorly in ministry. Far fewer resignations when the work gets tough. Far fewer failures to stick it out to the end of seminary. Far fewer missionaries who come home to stay after only one term of service.
One thing I must do while waiting is passionately pray. A second lesson we can learn from Nehemiah is to…
Responsibly serve.
that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
Nehemiah wasn’t one to dodge his responsibilities. He worked. He served. Yes, he prayed about the broken down walls in Jerusalem. He wanted to go back to his beloved city and rebuild those walls, but he couldn’t just leave his job. God had to work through the heart of the king if Nehemiah was to expect Artaxerxes to be receptive to his request.
“Lord, I ask You to change the heart of the king; alter his attitudes. Change the situation so that I may be allowed to do Your will with his pleasure—the pleasure of my superior.”
But Nehemiah realized that he needed to be faithful in his current job.
Be faithful in your current situation.
From the time Nehemiah was a little boy, God had been engineering his circumstances to ensure him a place among the palace servants. From there God maneuvered him through the ranks of influential Persian officials so he was noticed for his integrity and trustworthiness. Eventually, he was recommended to the king by some unknown palace staffer. And then one day he was appointed to the position of cupbearer.
On the surface, it would appear God was moving Nehemiah in a direction that would make it impossible for him to ever realize his dream. But just the opposite was true. God landed Nehemiah a job that gave him an inside track to the king. But he had more than a job. As cupbearer, Nehemiah had a special relationship with the king as well. Every day the king entrusted his life to the man who served his wine. It was the cupbearer’s responsibility to protect the king from being poisoned by his enemies. Artaxerxes’ own father had been murdered by a trusted servant. He knew all too well the possibility of betrayal from within the inner circle.
Like a master strategist, God had been working behind the scenes, putting all the players into position. And now the curtain was about to go up, signaling the beginning of a divinely scripted, perfectly cast play.
You don’t know what God is up to behind the scenes of your life. You don’t know how close you are to a breakthrough. It is no accident you are where you are. And it is not necessarily a problem that you are not where you assume you ought to be. God is very much in control. He works all things to the good of those who are “called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). His vision for your life is his purpose.
God is using your circumstances to prepare you to accomplish his vision for your life. Your present circumstances are part of the vision. You are not wasting your time. You are not spinning your wheels. You are not wandering in the wilderness. If you are “seeking first” his kingdom where you are, then where you are is where he has positioned you. And he has positioned you there with a purpose in mind. Like Nehemiah, it may be difficult for you to make the connection at this point. But in time, it will come together. It always does.
Be patient: Spend some time in God’s waiting room.
2. Be bold.
Let your fears feed your faith. vv. 2-3
It was hard enough to get a job like he had. It was harder to get out of it to go do what he felt called to do. So Nehemiah went on weeping and went on praying and went on fasting, until one day God opened the door. He didn’t have to speak to the king at all; the king spoke to him.
2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
Palace etiquette required all servants to look happy in the king’s presence. It was a compliment to the boss. Being in the king’s presence ought to always produce total joy. A gloomy face in front of the king was considered more than just bad manners. Since a sad face was considered treason – an insult to the crown – it could be punishable by death. We can see why Nehemiah would have been afraid.
It would be tempting for Nehemiah to say, “Please forgive me, king. I’m OK. I’ll not be sad again. It has nothing to do with you, I assure you.” But he doesn’t cave into his fear. In fact, his fear helped him step out on faith. He was bold with the king. I doubt that we can fully understand the faith and courage needed for Nehemiah to say what He said next.
3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?’
Sounds kind of tame to us, huh? When you consider that he could lose his life for even looking sad, then this was a giant step of faith. His fear didn’t shut him up. He’s trusting God. He’s stepping out.
God was at work in Nehemiah’s life. Artaxerxes overlooked his breach of protocol. The king showed genuine interest in his sorrow.
Be bold: Let your fears feed your faith.
3. Be dependent.
Remember: What God originates, He orchestrates. v. 4
Someone said, “Success comes when a thousand hours of preparation meet one moment of opportunity.” Here’s Nehemiah’s one moment of opportunity. Will he be ready for it?
Would he be severely punished for losing emotional control in the king’s presence? Would he be transferred to another position—eliminating what seemed to be the only possibility for helping his fellow Jews if Jerusalem? Would the king even take his concerns seriously and pursue the matter further?
4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?”
The king asked him, “What is it you want?” What an opportunity for Nehemiah! All the power and wealth of the kingdom were wrapped up in that question!
Nehemiah knew that a great door of opportunity had just been cracked opened. And he also knew he needed more divine wisdom to open it wide enough to walk through. While he’s formulating an answer to the critical question, Nehemiah quickly and silently whispered a prayer to God for help.
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Some people call this a “telegraph prayer,” an “email prayer,” a “fax prayer,” or an “arrow prayer.” But keep in mind that this “emergency S-O-S prayers” was backed up by four months of fasting and praying. If Nehemiah had not been diligent to pray in private, his “popcorn prayer” might have gone unanswered. His immediate response to the king’s question illustrates how continual his prayer life was. Nehemiah “walked with God because he talked with God.”
Sometimes, we forget the promise of God concerning speedy answers to prayer: ‘Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear’ (Isa. 65:24).
Throughout the process, Nehemiah never lost sight of his dependence. Even with the opportunity of a lifetime staring him in the face, he dared not step out on his own. He didn’t utter a word before asking God for help.
Be dependent: Remember: What God originates, He orchestrates.
4. Be prepared.
Since God is in charge, make your plans big. vv. 5-8a
There’s no substitute for a good reputation when it comes to asking for special favors. It often takes years to develop this kind of reputation and trust—but when the moment comes, it’s worth every bit of effort.
5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
The king had investigated the history of Jerusalem—perhaps somewhat recently. What he discovered troubled him so deeply he had issued an order against the city so it couldn’t be rebuilt (see Ezra 4:19-20). Nehemiah is asking the king to do a ‘U-turn’ and rescind a previous edict relating to the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah bared his heart before his boss and waited for his response. He was really looking for a new job.
Proverbs 21:1
Nehemiah Had Done His Homework. You’ve heard the saying, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” God gave Nehemiah the ability to use the knowledge he had gleaned from his days and weeks of careful research.
6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time.
7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah,
8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.”
Step 1 – Convince the king to allow me to leave his service in order to rebuild the wall around a city that in years past posed a military threat to this area.
Step 2 – Convince the king to lend financial support to the building project.
Step 3 – Procure letters from the king to the governors in the surrounding areas asking them to provide me safe conduct along the way.
Step 4 – Work out a deal with Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, to procure enough lumber to build the city gates as well as a home for me.
Step 5 – Ask the king for the title of Governor of Judah.
Step 6 – Organize and equip the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Step 7 – Begin construction.
Do you have a plan?
Chuck Swindoll says, “I weary of people who call it “faith” when they can’t tell you their plans. Have you ever heard an individual say, “No, we’re not going to think this through. We’re just going by ‘faith.’ God will lead us.” The calculating businessman says, “Uh huh, yeah. You’ll be back needing more bucks before you’re halfway there.” The presence of faith does not mean an absence of organization.”
Some enter the ministry with enthusiasm but later drop out because they have not considered the cost. Swindoll goes on, “The most disillusioned people I know are those in the Lord’s work who are paying the price of not thinking through their plans.”
What are some specific ways you can better plan and prepare in your service of God this week?
Be prepared: Since God is in charge, make your plans big.
5. Be expectant.
Set your sails and wait for wind. v. 8b
Nehemiah described the “key” that opened this door of opportunity.
And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.
This idea of the good hand of God is heard several times in both the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
The good hand of his God was on [Ezra].
Ezra 7:6
Is God’s good hand on your life? The Lord is ultimately behind any and all of our successes. We need His good hand for intentions to be turned into actions. Pray for His hand to be on you! You say, “That seems selfish.” It could be if your vision isn’t God’s vision. But if you are seeking to rebuild something that’s broken and it’s a burden that’s been placed on your heart by God, then it’s not selfish for you to pray fro His hand to be on your life.
O that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and the Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm…
I Chronicles 4:10
How do we know God’s hand was on Nehemiah? On the spur of the moment Artaxerxes decided to make a cupbearer a governor and give him authority to rebuild. God’s hand on your life makes things happen! Everything that was needed for the work of rebuilding was granted by the king.
Listen… the King of kings delights to supply His servants with everything that is needed for their ministry opportunities.
Nehemiah was sent. He was sent safely. He was sent supplied – all the factors important anytime we do anything for God.
We set the sail; God makes the wind.
Why did God bring you here today?
Maybe you needed to hear that’s it’s OK to ask God for His hand of blessing on your life.
