When God Captures Your Heart...

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My favorite time of year is the cold fall...not necessarily the frigid winter, but neither is it the slightly-cool-warming-to-summer-highs-in-the-fall part of fall that we have here in Florida. I like it chilly...cold enough to dress warm without having to shed layers throughout the day, but I still like to feel my toes.

With all of that said, there's something about the springtime that is quite fascinating, not so much because it's the return of the warmer months, but because of what is taking place under the surface. Chemical changes start happening, cells begin multiplying, and before long, shoots begin pressing against the surface of ground after being dormant for so many months.

Color returns...newness abounds...and we are reminded again of the emergence of life.

This is not at all unlike God working on His creation. He brings things to life and then, below the surface, through His Spirit, He begins working on the heart. That's what has happened in Nehemiah. God was at work...first seen in how YHWH moved on Nehemiah's heart concerning Jerusalem's disrepair. Then, God is at work in the heart of a pagan king, and the timing of the whole situation, and this allows Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem. Then, He continues to stir Nehemiah's heart to faithfulness. It's a reminder that there is a quiet current moving the hearts of God's people to accomplish His will.

Turn with me this morning to Nehemiah 2:9-20 as we explore what happens when God captures our heart.

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You press on to follow His will despite persecution.

(Neh.2:9-11 “Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days.”)

Military support — Nehemiah sees it as God’s provision, shows Nehemiah has the crown’s support.

Sanballat and Tobiah — recurring opponents for Nehemiah. While one name is Babylonian (Sanballat), he has Jewish names for his kids. Tobiah is a Jewish name. Scholars believe they could have been YHWH worshipers, which would make their opposition all the more puzzling.

NOT ALL WHO CLAIM TO BE GOD-FOLLOWERS ARE!

Despite the opposition, notice Neh.2:11 “So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days.” When God lays hold of your heart, you have no choice but to follow through.

Two questions:

Are we invested in the Word sensitive to the Spirit’s leadership?

Are we truly convicted by the will of God?

You plan accordingly using godly wisdom.

Neh.2:11-16 “So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.”

Waits three days — rest, and with that rest, it’s safe to assume prayer. Nehemiah has proved himself a person of prayer and reliance upon God.

WAIT ON THE LORD!

Then, the scene plays out like some sort of covert operation. Nehemiah moves quietly, minimally, in the still and dead of the night. He’s researching…collecting data…and keeping his plans to himself.

The need for godly wisdom and planning becomes pretty clear…this is for all of us who have a tendency to fly by the seat of the pants. That term originated in the early days of aviation when pilots didn’t have the advanced instrumentation they have today, so they flew by instinct and intuition. The phrase really took off....get it…in 1938 when Douglas Corrigan flew from the US to Ireland. The newspaper article said he flew by the seat of his pants because he lost the use of his compasses.

Nehemiah reminds us that there is a place for godly wisdom and planning. That’s not a lack of faith. It’s a good practice to plan ahead. After all, life will complicate the rest.

You plead passionately for others to join you.

Neh.2:17-19 “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?””

Then, notice the shrewdness in his appeal for help:

He identifies with the problem — we have a problem.

He points out the seriousness of the situation — Jerusalem lies in ruins.

He commits to action — let us rebuild.

He assures success — God is with us!

His shrewd appeal is based on a fundamental truth: obeying God’s will is not a solo mission.

Finally, you place faith in God that He will use you.

Neh.2:20 “Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.””

For all of the pressing on, for all of the planning with godly wisdom, for all of the appeal for help, this last verse is the most pertinent. Success always rests with God.

It’s not that success necessarily means God was in it, but that it won’t be a true success unless God is in it.

This passage reminds me of a familiar one in Philippians. Paul says that God is the One at work in us both to will and to obey for His good pleasure. Make no mistake, Nehemiah doesn't just wake up one day and think to himself, "I'd like to go and rebuild Jerusalem's walls today. Don't know why I'm feeling like that, but here goes."