A Blueprint to Build
Scripture:
“The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “if it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” - Nehemiah 2: 4-5 (NIV) Observation:
This week’s sermon was based off of the book of Nehemiah, chapter two. It describes an encounter between Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes, whom Nehemiah served as a cupbearer for. Nehemiah had heard of the trouble that was brought upon Jerusalem, and how its gates had been destroyed. After much prayer and fasting, Nehemiah felt an urgency to go rebuild the city and, because of God’s favor over Nehemiah, the king asked him, “what is it that you want?” Nehemiah could have sought out his own comfort and personal desires — instead he aligned himself with God’s blueprint and asked to build God’s thing. Did you catch that? First, Nehemiah sought out God in prayer, then God answered his desired-request. This teaches us that you cannot build God’s thing, without first seeking Him in prayer. This means ridding ourselves of selfish desires, and allowing God to use us for His purposes. “If you want to build something successfully, build something that builds others.” True success is not measured by the earthly standards, like how much money is in your bank account; but rather seeking God’s purpose for you, serving in His kingdom, and building upon that. As we seek God on a deeper level this week, during Prayer and Fasting, ask Him to reveal to you, how He wants to use you in building and furthering His Church. Application:
How do you respond when an opportunity comes knocking? Is prayer your first go to? Nehemiah prayed for months before his encounter with the king. Nehemiah was sure to seek God’s will first, making sure his next move was in line with God’s will and blueprint over his life. If Nehemiah felt the need to pray and consult with God, before making a life-changing decision, how much more so should we do the same. Whatever your next move is; a new business venture, a new relationship, a living arrangement, a new job or career path, I pray that you do it with God’s covering. Mathew 6:33 states “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (NKJV).” There is favor in seeking God’s will first, over our own personal desires. Never forget that “His ways are better than ours.”Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for today. We thank You that Your love is not forced; that You give us free-will to come to You on our own. I pray that our free-will seeks You first in all of our decisions. Help us to be in-line with Your blueprint for our lives. Help us to stay in-tune with Your Holy Spirit. Let Your voice be the loudest in our ear, despite the chaos and noise around us. Block any opportunity that doesn’t align with Your purpose. Help us to not seek our own will but live our lives in devotion to Your will. We love You and trust that Your ways are always better than ours. In Jesus name, Amen!