Poised to Bring Change
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As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was cupbearer to the king.
Intro: Nehemiah was a Lay Person! As the book of Nehemiah begins, we meet an unusual man. He’s a man with a good job – good salary his was an important job – he worked for the state, but not his home state – another state and another leader – actually, his job was something like a bodyguard for the king; only his responsibilities were mainly in area of food – he was the food taster – if food = bad, no allow his boss to eat (maybe enemies try to poison his boss)
One day, his brother came with news from back home; things weren’t so good; in fact they were bad! As soon as he heard the news, he knew he needed to do something; but his job didn’t allow him the chance
All of a sudden the joys of his good job and high standing in the community and unique access to the palace didn’t mean so much because of one interruption that changed his perspective. . . and changed his life!
NOW, through his access to the palace, God had placed him in a position to intervene. Isn’t it amazing how God places His people in strategic positions to be used of God? Around 25 years before Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, another Hebrew in Persia was faced with the challenge of making a difference for God’s people. Esther 4:14 records the challenge of Mordecai to Esther, “Maybe God raised you to this position for such a time as this?!”That was true of Esther and it was true of Nehemiah. Their obedience encourages us with the truth that it might also be true for us.
I. God Gives the Desire (Burden) for Change
Have you ever had a moment of truth? A moment you know will define you? When the need to act outweighs the comfort of your inactivity!
As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
this is that moment of clarity that this is my purpose
how does he respond?
A) He intercedes
B) He Confesses Sin
And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.
C) In his Intercession He calls on the Promises of God
Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was cupbearer to the king.
He cried out like Moses when the Children of Israel refused to cross and God said Ok I will wipe them out.
Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ‘It is because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’
He ends it with now give me Favor to ACT!!!!!!
I don’t want to just pray about stuff any more I want to bring Change this can’t stay the same.
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
I know who I was and I know who we are But God deliver us Oh lord
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
Use Me Lord
Now he prayed and Interceded and fasted like this for 4-5 months from Chislev (Nov) to Nisan (April)
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
You got to be committed to see change
II. Position on Purpose for Purpose
And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
Why is your face sad Nehemiah’s activities of the past few months—mourning, fasting, and praying—began to affect him physically.
I was very much afraid Nehemiah may have feared the loss of his livelihood, since court etiquette required those in the king’s presence to have a cheerful countenance. It is also possible that Nehemiah was nervous because he knew that if his request were refused he might not get another opportunity.
Your purpose will keep you in uncomfortable places
God’s Purpose will always have you in the right place and the right time
God will poise you to make change He will give you the right audience at the right tme
VS. 6 mentions that the Queen is there according to the custom of the time she would have only been there in an intimate setting
God’s Purpose for you will place you in front of the right People for the Purpose he Has called You
and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
Because
III. God Provides
When God gives You the desire to make a change and Poises you to make a Change you can know that He will provide for what it takes to make the change
You just have to be brave enough to ask
Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”
Again Nehemiah knows I am here but I still need your words tell me what to say
Many of us get there and mess it up because we forget who got us there
We start thinking I am here so i Got this
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
We must trust the Lord on what to ask
and Dont forget to ask God for the Plan
Come with a Plan
And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
If we will learn from Nehemiah and Esther and Abraham and David
When we learn to recognize “Our such a time as this”
We will see how God can Poise Us to Make a Change
The World will see through our lives the provisions of Our God
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
USABLE
I’ve seen my share of Storms and Valleys
And
To Issues and Hurt I am no Stranger
But I am Usable, I am Usable Lord
Use me Lord
A little dented a little bruised
scraped up and worn
An Artifact waiting to be discovered
But I am Usable, I am Usable Lord
Use me Lord
Abandoned Overlooked
Discarded Disregarded and Thrown Away
Left to my Own Ruin
Not much to the Eye
But I am Usable, I am Usable Lord
Use me Lord
Use me Oh Lord in Spite of me
Use Me
Use me to Reach the World and Light the Dark
Use me Lord
Use me to confound the Wise and the Strong