If you were standing in front of a king who said, "So what do you want?", what would you say?
Nehemiah had an answer ready. He knew exactly what he wanted, he thought through timelines and anticipated what was needed to accomplish his vision (which was ultimately, God's vision).
It was interesting to look at today's passage because I think many people wish someone (a banker? a boss? God?) would ask them, "So what do you want?" However, most people (myself included at times!) haven't really thought through the answers. They might want a quick escape, but the hard work of actually thinking, working and seeing something through? Not so much.
God's definitely not a genie, but here's the thing: He actually wants to know what you and I want (see Matthew 7:7). Ideally, what we want would align with what He wants (see Jesus' example in Luke 22:42). However, often we haven't thought about what God wants, what we want and the different ways those ideals could actually become reality. (Was that a major tongue twister or what?)
I like Nehemiah. He was gutsy planner (often those two attributes don't come together!). I think it will be interesting to read his story again. He's already inspiring me to think and pray more about what God wants, what I want and how they might come together and actually happen.
Tomorrow: Nehemiah 4-6
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