Pray & Go!

“And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” Nehemiah 4:9

It was already a seemingly impossible task. Rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem with a small team in a short time. Nehemiah had his work cut out for him. Then the opposition came! From all sides, his team was mocked, threatened and intimidated by those who did not want to see God’s people restored to their city (Nehemiah 4:1-8).

There are so many wonderful leadership principles and helpful practical lessons for us in this book, but my favorite is found in the verse above. Notice Nehemiah’s reaction to the knowledge that many were standing against him. First of all, he prayed. He knew that God had called him to do the work, and that God was in control of the whole situation, so prayer was appropriate. “God, help us! Protect us! Do Your work here!” But Nehemiah didn’t stop there. He then set up a guard rotation with his men to keep an eye out for the enemy.

What we see here is a great example of the balance we need in our lives. Surely God wants us, as His people, to demonstrate our need for Him to intervene. And He loves to hear us pray, to ask for His help. But He also gives us brains and strength and abilities that He wants us to use! God doesn’t want us to pray and sit. He wants us to pray and go. This shows our faith. We pray for His help, and then we move out, believing that He will guide and strengthen us. What is in front of you? What is God showing you? Pray and go!

-Pastor Mike