The 10 "C's" of Nehemiah (Part 6)

2nd "C" - COMMITTED to the call!

Remember how brokenhearted Nehemiah was when he heard about the condition of the Jerusalem and of the Jews living there? I'm always deeply touched as I read the verses that describe the depth of Nehemiah's emotion. He sat and mourn, wept, fasted and prayed...for days! God was breaking Nehemiah's heart over their condition AND God was putting within Nehemiah's heart something to DO about it! Go to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. WOW! Nehemiah's prayer in Chapter 1 is awesome and I love how he ends with some VERY specific requests. To the human mind, it makes no sense. It sounds crazy doesn't it? After all, what could Nehemiah do about it? He was a cup bearer to the king and some 600 miles away from the problem.

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever been deeply burdened about something? Maybe you couldn't stop thinking about it. Maybe you even wept about it, found yourself talking to God about it and maybe even thinking about what you might do or could do. But then thought - "This is crazy!" "What can I do about it?" So, you did nothing...

Nehemiah KNEW that His God was great and awesome and Nehemiah committed to the call of God to lead forward! God called Nehemiah to DO something - rebuild the wall! WOW - that's huge AND Nehemiah committed to that call! Think about it - only a great and awesome God could make a way for a cup bearer of a king, some 600 miles away! But, Nehemiah beseeched the God of Heaven, he asked God to help him DO what God was putting on his heart to do ... and then He waited for God to make a way!

Ah, waiting on God. Waiting can make us waiver in our commitment. But not Nehemiah. While Nehemiah waited he planned. I say this because of Nehemiah 2:4. When the king asks Nehemiah what he would request - Nehemiah had a list! This is not the kind of list you make up as you go but this is a list born out of prayer and planning.

God has work for each one of us to do - He's calling us to DO something for others on HIS behalf. In our human minds, it seems impossible or sounds crazy! Beseech the God of heaven, ask Him for what you'll need to accomplish the work and then wait for God to make a way. As we wait - let's not waiver in our commitment! Let's pray and plan so that when God makes the way we are as prepared and ready as was Nehemiah!

If we are going to accomplish the work that God has prepared for us to do, we must remember the enemy wants to disturb us (to move our mind concerning our faith and the work to which God has prepared for us to do). See the 10 "C's" of Nehemiah (Part 2)

We must not lose our focus! We cannot forget why we are doing what we are doing! Or, lose sight of what God is putting on our hearts to do on His behalf. Rising to the call of leadership means absolute unwavering commitment to God and to His call or what He is putting on your heart to do for Him. Oh, we don't want to miss it - we really don't. So, let's press in, press on, pray forward!

Next time: 3rd "C" - CLARITY of Vision

The 10 "C's" from Nehemiah (Part 5)

In this moment, I stand once again amazed at God! Let me explain...

I started these blog posts on the 10 "C's" during the summer of 2009. But, these past months have kept me busy learning a new job, having a long distance relationship with my husband, caring for my 89 year old legally blind father who lives with us and oh yeah...packing, moving, unpacking and celebrating the holidays. Whew! So often I've wondered if I'd ever get to finish these posts on the 10 "C's." I mean I was posting them for my girls you know. (I am sure I just heard God chuckle! )

So, here's where I am in my life. We've been attending a church where the pastors have been teaching out of Nehemiah and I've also been doing some editing of Leading Forward, a biblical leadership training tool based on the book of Nehemiah. Anyway, it's been exciting to be back in a book that God has used so mightily in my life! And maybe - just maybe...all this means I could blog a thought or two! So, where did I leave off anyway? Imagine my surprise a few minutes ago to find I only shared the first "C" - called by God. Geez, a lot of help I've been to my girls!

Just like God to work in our lives like this...

You see this morning, Tom, daddy and I went to early church and then we walked daddy to his new Sunday School class. Instead of attending Sunday School, Tom and I decided to go to Starbucks for coffee because I've been really struggling and I wanted him to help me reason through and sort out my thoughts! My struggle? If I am being called to my current place of service.

There is a particular place that God has me right now in ministry that on some days, I think I'm right where He wants me. On these days, I think I'm called and that the last decade of experiences has prepared me for just this moment. You see, for the last 10 years, I was in totally over my head. BUT, I knew that I knew that I knew, I was called by God to the work. The work was hard, difficult and much of the time - not fun WORK. While I had some skills and abilities to do some of the work - most of it was impossible. Why do I say impossible? Because what God was calling me be a part of doing or accomplishing was a supernatural work. He would do the impossible and He would send others to help but the work would required everything I had physically, mentally and spiritually...and then some. So, it meant being on my face before the One who called me, getting up and waiting for His power - that same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead - to get the work done through me. And, He did it. In that time and place, I knew He had called me to that work and I was fully committed.

Re-reading my last blog entry means so much to me because where I am today is on the same edge of impossible. I look at the amount of work and the kind of work required and you know what I see? Hard. Difficult. Most of it not fun work. I see an obstacle course, pit falls and oh yeah...a lack of resources. I know there are others more capable than me that can get the job done. So, for someone like me to accomplish this kind of work means being called by God and then fully committing to that call AND to the work. I mean why would I choose another 10 years (or whatever) of hard, difficult, not fun, in over my head, humanly impossible WORK? Uh, vacation and/or retirement would be my fleshly choice!

But, I know by personal experience that there is nothing better than waking up every morning knowing that you are doing what God has called you to do. Don't get me wrong - it's doesn't mean it's easy or even that it's fun. So how will I know, how do I know if God is calling me to this next task...this next edge of impossible? For several weeks now, I've been asking God to show me. Affirm or confirm Lord so I'll know that I know, can commit and get on with the tasks at hand. Otherwise Lord, why choose this level of hard? As I'm processing with my fingers here, I'm thinking I do know He's called me. I'm still going to keep asking Him to affirm and confirm, but I know what He's stirred up in my heart. I also know what He's had me doing the last 10 years of my life and how it fits with now and the impossible now in view.

After sorting through my thoughts, talking to Tom, reading the last blog post....I wonder if it has more to do with "C" number 2 (commitment) than "C" number 1 (calling)? You know what? I'm tired. It's been a long year. Truthfully...it's been a long decade! I also know that once you commit to God's call - there is NO turning back. To stop the work before God calls you out is NOT an option. This new impossible task? I want it to happen. I believe in it. I'm actually passionate about the work and what I see God wanting to accomplish. So, I stand by my own words posted in the last blog. If I am being called by God then my choices are:

1. Commit
2. Close my eyes, ears, heart, mind

My, my, my - how time flys!

Wow, it's October already and I haven't had time to post a blog since August? Sad - but true! Now, I'm in the middle of sorting, pitching and packing and who know when I'll be able to finish the 10 C's of Nehemiah. Why am I not surprised? I just think I have something to share now from Nehemiah, but just wait until after the move! So, just in case you were following along - don't give up on me. God isn't finished yet! I'm just a bit sidetracked with the move to Chattanooga.

Today was a VERY emotional day for me. I shouldn't be surprised and yet I am. My niece (Lisa) who lives in Jersey and has worked with Tom for the past 18 years (or so) came out today - with her friend Stacy. I realized when I hugged her goodbye that it was a goodbye of sorts. No longer will she just be one state away but many states away. We went through some of my parents things in the basement and she took a few "keepsakes." Most precious was that she took my mother's rings. Oh what a story - my mother's rings. My mother.... On her 25th wedding anniversary my daddy gave her a beautiful solitaire diamond. Many years later, she would add a diamond right next to it so that her girls would each have one! Neither of her girls had their mother's tiny fingers and also could not bear to cut the ring in half. But the ring fits Lisa perfectly and today it came out of the box and she wore it home. Together with the band, another band of diamonds and a diamond cluster ring. All of which my mother wore all the time. Oh it was so precious to see her sitting there with my mother's rings on her pretty little hands. I was surprised at the DEPTH joy it brought my heart.

But, when I went to hug Lisa goodbye I just didn't want to let her go. I wanted to breathe her in. As I stood there holding her, I regretted all the moments I had not seized with her. Oh, why didn't I seize those moments? Forgive me Lisa for not seizing the moments. I love her and I am so proud of her. How I pray that in the depths of her soul she KNOWS that she is loved, appreciated, admired and always in my thoughts and prayers. It was SO precious for Stacy to come out today with Lisa. She is such a dear friend to Lisa and holds a very special place in our hearts too. I love these beautiful women and I will miss them terribly. Oh, I know I didn't get to see them all that often but I knew I could and now...well...hopefully they really will visit us in Chattanooga. I will not give up hope....

Lisa - I love you.

the 10 "C's" from Nehemiah (Part 4)

I started this series of blog posts because I had great concern for my "girls." The precious women who will be leading the ministries of Truth for Women forward. You see, I know the work is going to be impossible apart from God and on top of all the hard work, trials, testings ... affliction of all kinds are and will come ... from every direction. I know the enemy wants to use all these afflictions to rock their faith, disturb their faith, side track and shipwreck their faith and need I go on? I KNOW from experience the Word of God is TRUTH and that the 10 C's" from Nehemiah will strengthen and encourage their faith and mine!

1st "C" - CALLED by God

In the last blog post (Part 3), there were lots of observation questions as there is SO much to see in Nehemiah 1 and 2. Isn't carefully observing God's Word the best?

God, true to His Word, judged His people. Because they had forsaken Him and followed after the nations, God brought the nations against them. The city of Jerusalem and temple destroyed and the people of God enslaved. Under Ezra's leadership, the temple in Jerusalem had been completed some 76 year earlier but the walls of the city broken down, the gates burned by fire and people of God there in the city were in great distress (1:3).

The depth of Nehemiah's emotion when he heard this news really grabs me. He shares that he "sat down and wept and mourned for days; and was fasting and praying before the God of heaven." I mean think about - when was the last time you sat down and wept AND mourned for days? Nehemiah didn't stop with weeping and morning. He was so torn up and burdened he added fasting and praying before God. Really interesting to me is that Nehemiah was in Susa - some 600 miles from Jerusalem. The distance didn't matter. God got a hold of Nehemiah's heart and it brought Nehemiah to his knees.

In 2:12, Nehemiah says God was putting into his mind (heart) something to do for Jerusalem. Isn't that awesome? God, the One who spoke the world into existence, Who needs no one and no thing - puts in our hearts and in our minds things to do for HIM. Nehemiah was "called" by God to do something on behalf of God for the people of God. That something was to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Bill Hybels in his book "Holy Discontent" calls these moments "Popeye Moments." That's right Popeye moments! God opens your eyes and your heart to something and the burden so great ... you "can't stands it, can't stands it, can't stands it no more."

Have you looked around lately at the condition of God's people? How many of God's people are in great distress due to their sin or the sin of others? What about our churches, communities and nation? Where are the Nehemiah's of our time? You know, sometimes God breaks our hearts with the distress we see and the emotion of it all takes us back. Sometimes it's just too much to bear and so we push the emotion aside. Sometimes we allow ourselves to grieve and as we do God begins to put something on our hearts to do. But because it seems so totally IMPOSSIBLE, we push those thoughts aside. The fact is though, God CALLS people to do things for HIM. These are things that only HE can make happen through His supernatural ability but at the same time these things or tasks require everything we've got. When God calls, we have 2 choices:

1. Commit
2. Close our eyes, ears, hearts and minds

Nehemiah is a great example of how a CALL from God "looks"! God opens our eyes, breaks and burdens our hearts and then puts in our minds something to do (way to help). I don't think we get our minds around the fact that God chooses to include us in on His plans and the work He wants to accomplish. We all get the fact that God doesn't need us and I sure don't get why God would even want to include me in on anything He wants to do. But, the TRUTH, is before He spoke the world into existence, He thought of you and me and He PLANNED things for us to do (Eph. 2:10). Good works that glorify HIM.

We need to understand what it means and looks like to be called by God to do something because when God calls we must commit! There is NOTHING better than waking up every morning knowing that we are doing what God has called us to do. The Creator of the Universe working in and through - WOW. This is why we exist and we don't want to miss what God has planned for us. We really, really don't. To experience God's call upon our lives, we have to allow God to open our eyes, ears, hearts and minds. We need to remember that when we open our eyes, ears and hearts that weeping and mourning will come as will the need to seriously seek God's face. We also need to be prepared because what God will put on our minds to do for HIM will be impossible apart from HIM. We'll shake our heads, be tempted to shrink back and want to slough it off as no way - impossible. We must not do this. We must seek God with everything we've got. Then, we must commit.

Next time - 2nd "C" - COMMITTED to the call