‘…This work had been done with the help of our God.’ NEHEMIAH 6:16 NIV
After scoring a goal for his American Football team, a big, rugged linebacker started dancing and beating his chest as if to say, ‘Look at me, I’m the greatest.’ Then the ball changed hands and the opposing team ran it back on the ensuing kick-off, eighty yards for a touchdown. But unlike his opponent, the kick-returner offered up a quick ‘Thank You, God’ before turning to celebrate with his team. Now meet another team player, Nehemiah, the king’s royal cup bearer. When he heard about Jerusalem’s broken-down walls, he set aside his own problems and focused on the nation’s. Nehemiah was so burdened for the city where his forefathers were buried that he ‘…wept…mourned…and prayed before…God…’ (Nehemiah 1:4 NIV). He remembered his roots, and reminded God of His covenant with His people by, in essence, praying: ‘I know who You are, God, and I know who we are. Your people have rejected You, but we’re coming back and You can give us success.’ God honoured Nehemiah’s prayers and Jerusalem’s walls were rebuilt in fifty-two days, causing the enemy nations who heard to lose ‘their self-confidence, because they realised this work had been done with the help of our God’. When God looks for a leader, He knows the kind of man and woman He can count on. He knows that a leader who’s a team player can turn weakness into strength, obstacles into stepping stones, and disaster into triumph. You may not see yourself as a leader per se, but people watch you every day. The question is, do they know who you are following? And that it’s about Him—not you?
Bible In A Year: Josh 11-13, John 15:5-17, Ps 14
