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A Vision Thatâ s Bigger Than You
Nehemiah 1-2
Overview:
Message Summary: Though the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down for more than
140 years,
and though Nehemiah lived 750 miles away, God planted a vision in his heart to r
ebuild the city walls.
However, the first thing he does might just surprise you. In this message, Pasto
r Stowers looks at the
first two chapters of Nehemiah and talks about the birth of a vision thatâ s too big
to accomplish.
In 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem after an 18-month siege. Temple a
nd the walls
destroyed. About 50 years later, The Persians took over, and the Persian king al
lowed some people
to return to the city to rebuilt the temple.
Though the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down for 141 years, God placed a vi
sion in the heart
of a leader named Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the King who lived far away (approx
imately 750
miles).
After prayer and planning, Nehemiah petitioned the king for permission to rebuil
d the wall. In addition
to asking the king to reverse a 13-year national policy, he asked for provision
and protection. Upon
arrival, he inspected the walls, communicated the vision and began the project.
1. HE
God has to work in you before He can work through you.
We have to take the time to allow God to work in us.
2. HE
O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the pray
er of your servants who
delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grand him
mercy in the sight
of this man. - Nehemiah 1:11
Donâ t tack on prayerâ ¦make it central to your decision-making.
â Then the kind said to me, â What are you requesting?â So I prayed to the God of heave
miah
2:4
Pray for (1:11)
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3. HE
5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found
favor in his sight, let
him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can reb
uild it."
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will you
r journey take, and
when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governo
rs of Trans-Euphrates, so
that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me
timber to make
beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for t
he residence I will
occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my
requests.
Nehemiah 2:4-8
The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
Then I prayed to the God of heavenâ ¦
For Further Reflection:
At one time or another, most of us have said, "I am too busy to pray!" If the wo
rk of God or the work
that we want to do for God depended on our energy and insight, then it might be
true. But of course,
at least theoretically, we believe that God's work can only be done through his
power (Psalm 127:1,
"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain"). Yet we don't th
ink our biggest job is to
pray. We learn as we go before the Lord in prayer to gain his perspective and to
gain confidence.
Maybe that would make a big difference in what we try to accomplish for the Lord
! In this study
Nehemiah models dependency on the Lord for his strength.
1. How do you respond when you hear bad news about people you know and care for?
2. List the specific concerns that Nehemiah mentions in his prayer (Neh. 1:5-11)
.
3. As you think about your ministry, are there any reports you are hearing that
you need to
petition God for?
4. What will you do to take a risk and become part of the answer for that prayer
?