PREPARATION AND PLANNING
CHAPTER ONE—Q&A (BUT NOT FAQ)
The temple is rebuilt. It wasn’t easy, lots of hard work and determination was required. There were obstacles and even periods of inactivity. But after the pages were turned on about 100 calendars, the temple was finally rebuilt.
When the world around them looked at them, they didn’t see a beautiful temple that reflected how awesome, marvelous, and powerful the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob really was. They saw a city that was in shambles and it was surrounded by brokenness; walls that were broken, burned, and beyond recognition in many places.
Many of the Israelites had a heart for God, but their testimony was greatly weakened because of the brokenness that they lived with everyday. We, too, can have a relationship with God and still have broken things in our lives that reflect poorly on our God.
The children of Israel lived with all of this shame and reproach until God called Nehemiah to a God-honoring, God-empowering task. What task? The same task God desires for all of His children: To see the broken areas of our lives restored so we can truly reflect God’s glory to the world around us.
Once I heard a young man say, “Why would I want what my mom has, just look at her life.” What do you say to a statement like that? Especially when he is telling the truth, her life is in shambles. His mom is a believer, who strives to love God, but when people see her all they see is a life of emotional chaos. Spiritual bondage to religion. Legalism as a safety net. Relationships in disarray. Where is the glory of a life-changing relationship with Jesus? Where is the Christ-likeness in her? Before I become judgmental, where is the life-changing relationship with God in my own life? I see it every now and then. But I need to see it more actively in my life. The passion for Christ-likeness should flow freely through my veins. I cry out, “Lord, I want to know You more. Lord, I need Your Spirit in me to produce the Fruit of the Spirit, evidence that my life is fully surrendered to You.”
We are going to closely examine how God used Nehemiah to bring healing and restoration to His people. The principals that we see in the book of Nehemiah have the potential to bring healing and restoration to our very own souls as well. As we study through the book of Nehemiah, may we all find the healing and restoration that we so desperately need. Instead of bringing shame to His name, let’s bring glory to His name. Let’s reflect God’s glory brighter to a lost and dying world!
Why do we bring shame to His name instead of glory? I think it’s because we are afraid to ask ourselves and God the tough questions? If we do not ask the right questions, by default, our lives will stay the same. Things will not change.
“Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 1:2
So many times, we just live in survival mode. We don’t ask ourselves the tough questions. Or we ask ourselves the questions instead of God. “God, why do I struggle with this issue? Is there a deeper issue? What are You trying to teach me though this struggle? Is there something I am supposed to be doing differently? Am I bringing this problem upon myself? If so, how?” There are many questions that we can ask. In Psalms, King David does a great job of not holding anything back. He fires off his questions to God and at Him. The questions fly like arrows up to heaven.
I remember hearing Joyce Meyers saying, “There is a different between a reason and an excuse.” She is right. So many times we are looking for excuses. But when we understand the reason we do things the way we do, we can seek with God’s guidance and power to go after the root of our issues.
We even need God’s help in knowing the right questions to ask. He is faithful. James 1:5-6a tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt…” If with faith and belief we ask Him, He will help us to know the right questions we need to be asking.
Also, when we don’t know the right questions to be asking, take comfort in the fact that the Holy Spirit is praying for us. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:26-27
As we trust that God Himself is praying for us and we with hearts filled with faith ask God for wisdom, God will lead us in a journey to know the right questions to ask.
Once we start asking the right questions, we need to respond to the questions correctly. It is important that we realize that every issue we face, has its own set of right questions to ask and the right responds to those questions will be different. There is not a simple three-step process—Ask yourselves these three important questions and you will be heading in the right direction. It does not work like that. But we can learn to seek God for the right questions. And He may chose to answer the questions or He may just let us ponder them for awhile or He may never answer our questions on this side of Heaven. But if He chooses to show us the answer, we need to trust that He will tell us how to appropriately respond to the answer He gives us.
As I think about questions, answers, and responding correctly a few Bible stories come to my mind. Can you think of any? I think of the rich, young ruler. “What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mk. 10:17) He asked the right question. He received the right answer, but it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. He walked away instead of selling it all and following Jesus.
Take some time right now and read John 9. You we find lots of characters asking lots of questions. How many right questions can you find? How many wrong questions do you hear being asked? Who is asking the right ones? Who is asking the wrong ones? It is a interesting study. Go for it. Read it and examine the quality of the questions.
I would have loved to have titled this chapter “FAQ” (Frequently Asked Questions). It would have been creative, but it would unfortunately also be a lie. Most people are not willing to ask themselves the tough questions, let alone God. Are you willing to ask God the right question? Where is the best place to ask Him? The workshop of prayer. Why don’t you join me there, because it is where Nehemiah is going and we should join him.
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