FRIDAY 5TH JAN., 2018

TOPIC: PREPARE YOURSELF
TEXT: NEHEMIAH 4:6 “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work…”

To succeed, Nehemiah needed favour with his boss, the king. So he prayed that this heathen potentate would finance the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. It was a bold prayer and it wasn’t answered overnight and again didn’t sit around waiting. In the meantime he put together a plan, assembled a team, and scheduled a date to begin the work. That way when the king said yes, he was ready to move. Some people think if God’s going to do something, why should we do anything? While others who think they don’t need God at all, try to do it on their own. Apparently, both extremes are wrong. Sometimes God has to balance what He’s doing in your life with what He’s doing in somebody else’s life, so that ‘all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). In Nehemiah’s case, waiting for a letter of authorisation from the king and funding for the project was like waiting for a government grant – it can take a while. The Bible says, ‘The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes’ (Prov.21:1).
Nehemiah exercised bold confidence in God’s willingness to provide. He also understood that while he was waiting, it was his responsibility to prepare and set things in place so that when God gave him the green light he was ready to move. He exercised faith – and wisdom. He knew he couldn’t do God’s part and that God wouldn’t do his part. So the word for you today is: ‘Prepare yourself!’ How? A humble heart God will not despise but a lifted heart God will abhor so the grace to do what is right in God’s presence sets the tone for our preparedness. Carefully study the reason why King Uzziah became leprous in 2 Chron. 26: 16-21.

MEDITATION: 2 Chron. 27:6

BIBLE STUDY
GEN. 5/MATT. 5/EZRA 5/ACTS 5