Based on “Under HIS Influence – Mission Possible” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
10/17-18/09, Message #MB393; Daily Devotional #2 - “A Mission from God”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4) Have you ever had a time in your life when you simply sat down and wept, cried, fasted, and prayed before God? There have only been a few times in my life when the burden I felt was so strong that there was nothing I could do but to fall on my face before the Lord.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Sometimes God gives us missions that seem impossible, and yet He knows how possible it is with Him. Jesus gave the disciples what seemed to be an impossible task: to go into the entire world, making disciples just like them. God gave Moses what seemed to be an impossible task, to free every Israelite from Egypt’s hold. God also birthed a mission inside Nehemiah to go and restore Jerusalem. Now Nehemiah wasn’t a building contractor, but a simple cup bearer to the king. I am sure he didn’t know the first thing to do, but there was a passion, a God birthed mission in his heart that could not be ignored until he acted upon it. Many things of this world tug on our heart strings, but very few things tug on our spirit strings to the point that we stop staring at the steps and start walking up them. When hearing the news that his beloved Jerusalem walls were broken down and the gates were burned with fire, (Nehemiah 1:3) Nehemiah didn’t know what to do but to go before the Lord. It was within his prayer that Nehemiah learned what must be done. He now had a choice to make, just like each of us, when we are presented with a tug on our spirit strings. Do we sit and stare at the steps, thinking that it is impossible, or do we take the first step up the stairs, not knowing what the top is going to look like, but believing that with God all things are possible? God has a plan, purpose, and mission for each of us, if we choose it. Nehemiah chose to take the first step. I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. (Nehemiah 2:11-12) Sometimes God puts missions on our heart that are specific for us to accomplish, and other times God places a specific plan on a group of people’s hearts. Regardless of how many people God calls, He calls. Oftentimes we forget that Jesus was a man of one on a mission, just like Nehemiah. Both men focused on their mission until the calling that God had placed before them was done. It is estimated that it took Nehemiah and his group of builders a little less than two months to rebuild the wall (Nehemiah 6:15). Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Two months, that’s nothing compared to the mission God has placed before me,” but Nehemiah couldn’t foresee the end results while he was in the midst of building. All he could see was the little steps along the way, not what or when the final outcome would be achieved. It may feel as if you have been standing on the same step for a very long time, waiting for the end results. But remember whose plan it is, yours, or God’s? We must wait patiently on Him to direct us when to take the next step, just as He patiently waits for us to boldly take the next step even when it seems impossible to us. God doesn’t call us to do the impossible, but the possible through Him. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Nehemiah was an amazing man. He took a step that no other person took for more than a century and a half as Jerusalem sat in ruins. God had a plan for Jerusalem and a specific person who He wanted to carry out His plan. God has placed specific plans for each of us on our lives. He hasn’t called all of us to build cities like Nehemiah, or free entire countries like Moses, but He has called each of us to live boldly for Him, and to proclaim the Good News to everyone everywhere. It may be that we have been sharing the message of Jesus Christ, and yet we are frustrated because it seems as if things haven’t moved since the last time we talked with that family member, co-worker, or friend. But remember, God’s Word doesn’t return void. If He has spoken to us to do something then the very words of God will accomplish their purpose. Take a moment and reflect on the mission God has given you. Are you still mourning, fasting, and praying before the God of heaven over the situation He has called you to? If not, ask God to rebirth that passion, just as Nehemiah had a passion for the city of Jerusalem.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:28-29; Acts 1:8
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