Nehemiah was a man of passion and prayer, but he was also a man of planning. We tend to do two things in ministry. We either tend to pray well but fail to plan or we plan well but fail to pray. Doing one without the other is counterproductive. We must pray but we must also plan.
Nehemiah spent 3-4 months praying and planning for his future ministry in Jerusalem. At the end of Chapter One we see Nehemiah say the following: “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” What we see in this is that Nehemiah has been praying but also planning because in Chapter Two we see that when the king asks what is going on, Nehemiah replies with the state of Jerusalem and what he wants to do. When Nehemiah gets his opportunity, he is truly prepared because he bathed his plans with prayer.
When we are in the midst of replanting we must engage in an active prayer life, but we must not fail to see the importance of making solid plans. Where is your heart? What do you want to see happen in the church? What changes need to take place? These are just the beginning questions that should be asked in the contexts of planning. Regardless, put “feet” to your plans by making sure you are prayerfully considering your options.
Nehemiah is a great example of biblical leadership, but only because he makes good plans that are soaked in prayer. May we be willing to do the same.
Published June 30, 2016
