Open Eyes, Ready Hands

By Dean Collins

What skills does it take to rebuild a city? All of us have lived or do live in a city. Some cities are big, and some are small but regardless of size, it takes planning, work, investment, professional expertise, and time to build or rebuild a city. It probably involves a developer, a bank, engineers, construction workers, and a variety city and county officials working together to get the job started and finished, right?  

I just rolled off the Troup Strategy Board, where I chaired the Troup Strategy Center and served on the infrastructure committee. I learned first-hand how important it is to plan well and plan together when attempting to improve roads, bridges, build housing developments, and recruit businesses to come and do business in your community. 

The Bible tells us about a different approach to planning and development. In fact, in this instance a man named Nehemiah heard from some friends who had returned from Judah and gave an update to Nehemiah about the condition of things back home. Their report described the brokenness of their former hometown, Jerusalem. As Nehemiah, whose family used to live there 70 years ago, heard what a mess his old hometown was in, it broke his heart. Nehemiah didn’t just hear the story and say, “I'm sorry to hear that.” The news of the brokenness of Jerusalem wrecked him, and he mourned for days and began to fast and pray. He acknowledged the spiritual condition of himself and the previous generation, as well as their failure to be the people God had called them to be. He asked for forgiveness. He asked God to open his eyes and see the condition of the people and of the city itself. And in that prayer, God's ears and eyes were open (they are always open—even when we think otherwise). In this case, God also opened the eyes of Nehemiah through fasting and prayer and called Nehemiah to do something about broken-down Jerusalem.

Well, you know how God picks people for a job, right? He always picks people with the right technical training and experience and, lucky for God, Nehemiah had a background in city planning and construction. Wrong! Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the Persian king. He tasted wine to make sure it wasn't poisoned or of poor quality. Not exactly the perfect skill set to rebuild a city! If you have lived very long or read much scripture, then you know that God doesn't pick the ones others might see as most qualified to do his work. He picks the ones whose eyes are open to him and willing to be led by him. He picks the ones whose hearts are broken over the condition of the hearts of the people in their paths or in their awareness. When our hearts are broken for those around us, then God can use us to build a community. 

And so, Nehemiah reported to work as a wine taster the next day, and the King noticed that his face was sad. He asked Nehemiah what was wrong, and Nehemiah took a breath, said a prayer, and made a request of the king. His request was for a leave of absence to go rebuild Jerusalem. He also made a bold request that the king send a letter giving Nehemiah the authority and the necessary lumber for the rebuilding of the gates and walls of the city. And the king granted his request.

There are so many things we can learn from Nehemiah about faith and leadership, but for now the only question I have is about you and me: What has God revealed to us about the brokenness of the towns we live in? Are we willing to pray and ask God to open his eyes and ours to the brokenness around us? Are we willing to act when God answers our prayers? Are we willing to take a risk and ask for help, even financial help, to do his work?

Nehemiah took all those steps, and it wasn't easy. He had opposition. Not everyone got into his plan. But he never lost faith. He never stopped praying. His confidence was in the God of heaven, and he believed that God would make him prosper. Today, take a moment and say a prayer and then follow Nehemiah's plan; arise and build.

Father, we confess that we often push forward in our attempts to build our homes, our churches, and our communities without pausing to ask you what you see and what you want us to see. Forgive us for building things according to our plans without first seeking your help and direction. Today we ask that you show us the brokenness around us and lead us to take the steps you reveal as we seek to do your kingdom work on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Nehemiah 1:3-11, 2:4-5, 9-10, 12, 16-20 ESV

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