Nehemiah 7

Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. And I said to them, "Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house." Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt. Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it: These are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city.

(Neh 7:1-6)

Notice all that had been accomplished at this point: The wall was built, the gates were hung, and the gatekeepers, Levites, and singers had been appointed. Then 2 men who loved and feared God were chosen to have charge over the city of Jerusalem, to be leaders there. After all of this was done Nehemiah began to look around, and he saw that the city was large and spacious, that not many people were living in it, and the houses still needed to be rebuilt. In other words, there was a lot more work to do.

There are many times when people find themselves in the position Nehemiah is now in. They have finished what God has called them to do in one area, and they look around and see LOADS of needs, they see that there is WORK to do. Sometimes in these situations, people just give up. Overwhelmed by what remains to be done they say, “I did my part, I’ve earned the right to just sit back, relax, and let someone else do the work”. Other times, a person will see all of the needs and just pick one at random. Though this may be better than doing nothing, it really isn’t the best way to move on.

Nehemiah sets a good example for how a godly man or woman should respond in a situation of this sort. He SAW the work, but he didn’t just do what HE wanted to… He did what the LORD put upon his heart. This may seem like a subtle difference on the surface, but in reality it is huge. Nehemiah got involved in ministry in the first place because of a burden… Now he was letting the Lord redirect him into new ministry by developing that burden again.

If you want to see the Lord lay His will for your work and ministry on YOUR heart, then there are some practical steps you need to take.

1. Pray for the Lord to give you a burden for His people and His work.

2. Pray for the Lord to direct you in how to specifically meet the need he lays on your heart.

3. continue to pray throughout the process of the work… you need Him!