Two stories, one ancient and one from my life, about how God prompts
By Dean Collins
God has any number of ways to confirm our assignments. I think it’s safe to assume God is always sure in his prompting, but our busyness, our sin, and our stubbornness may often keep us from hearing his voice. This is one of the reasons it is important to spend time with God in prayer. Those quiet times when we force our minds to focus more on God and less on self are the moments direction will emerge.
What we often forget is that while we may say amen to the prayers we offer and move on, God doesn’t stay behind. He moves with us. Because he is with us, later we will often feel a prompt about what to do and when to do it.
Seeing God’s movement
Nehemiah felt such a prompt when he was doing his daily work of bringing a goblet of wine to King Artaxerxes. And this incident gives us a hint of something to remember: God prompts other people and uses them to confirm our assignments. In this case, God prompted the king to notice that Nehemiah was sad and to ask him why.
God was moving before Nehemiah heard about the condition of the Jerusalem walls. God moved in Nehemiah’s heart as he fasted and prayed. God moved with Nehemiah as he did his daily work. And God had already moved ahead of Nehemiah, preparing the king’s heart even on a day when Nehemiah was discouraged. God is always active, whether we are aware of it or not. Our task is to get close enough to God so that we see his movement and join him to accomplish his purposes for us, for others around us, and even for the world.
Experiencing a nudge
When I was 21, I began to learn a lesson about how God is always prompting his children toward his purposes and plans, not just for them but for people they have never met. After a spiritual nudge I received while attending a chapel service in college, God stirred my heart toward college students. I was a college senior at the time. I was also a youth minister in a local church, yet the nudge was toward helping college students find their faith, grow their faith, reclaim their faith, and never lose it. In the weeks that followed, I began to investigate what was involved in doing campus ministry. As I spoke with campus ministers in Florida and Georgia, my direction was clarified. But like Nehemiah, I knew I couldn’t fulfill my calling without the help of others.
In the winter of 1979 a minister and vice president of Atlanta Christian College, now Point University, drove me to meet a man he thought might have an interest in what God was stirring in my heart. I met Mr. Lanier at the local country club in Lanett, Alabama. After informal chit-chat as our group ate lunch, Mr. J. Smith Lanier (who insisted I call him Smith) asked me two questions. All eyes were on me. The first question: “What is it you want to do at Auburn University?” Although I thought I was prepared for that question, I’ll admit I was quite nervous as I managed a reply. And I knew I wasn’t ready for the second question: “How can I help you?”
Finding the answers
When Nehemiah was before the king, he was also asked a couple of questions: “Why is your face sad?” The king could tell that Nehemiah was not sick but burdened. Nehemiah shared his burden just as I did when I met Smith Lanier. Nehemiah got the same question Smith Lanier asked me: “What can I do? What are you requesting of me?”
In Nehemiah 2:4 Nehemiah prayed before he answered. My memory is that I was simply trying to breathe when that question came to me. I suspect God hears our prayers even when we are so nervous all we can do is try to breathe. Nehemiah continued asking for the king’s influence and some of his resources to fund his mission. I asked Smith Lanier for his prayers, for names of students at Auburn he might know, and for financial support. He replied that he would pray about it and get back to me.
Devising a plan
Looking back on my experience I would say I got the perfect answer. I was all enthusiasm, but that was about all. I had the prompt but not the plan. According to his account, Nehemiah was more specific.
I left the country club motivated and encouraged and continued my work to build a plan for the launch of Auburn Christian Fellowship. I received a letter with a check enclosed a couple of weeks after my visit. The letter asked me to keep Smith updated on my work and assured me he would be praying for me.
I’ve learned firsthand what Nehemiah learned as well. When God calls you, it is imperative to follow the prompts, meet the people, answer the questions, pray diligently, make the plans, and do the work. He will never stop moving in the life of anyone focused on doing their part in the kingdom work God stirs in their hearts. I have watched in amazement as God has done this over and over again in my life.
Praying and listening
The Nehemiah story is a great example of how God is always prompting his children to repair walls and replace gates. He is a God of restoration and he is not finished with his plan. I know the same thing that you know; there are plenty of broken places and broken people around us in need of repairs. The question is, “What are you called to do about these broken places?”
I think the best word I can give you today is simply to pray, listen to prompts, and when you are nudged, then start making your plans. You won’t be able to do it alone so be ready to answer the questions when someone asks you about your vision and what they can do to help!
Your time with God’s Word
Nehemiah 2:1-8 ESV
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.
