Nehemiah faced a monumental task. God had very clearly opened the door of opportunity and now had to walk through that door to the other side.
This isn't a fence around someone's yard. We're talking about rebuilding a wall around an entire city.
It's going to take a lot of money and a lot of materials. It's not like Nehemiah can just go down to the local Home Depot, order his materials and ask them to deliver them in Jerusalem.
When you face a large opportunity, as Nehemiah did, you need a Plan.
"Who would start to build a tower without first sitting down to determine what he needed, so he wouldn't build part way and not be able to finish?" Lk 14:28ff
We soon find out that while Nehemiah had been PRAYING (for four months), he had also been PLANNING.
He Knew what he wanted to accomplish (He had a VISION of what the project would look like).He knew exactly what he needed to do the job (He had a PLAN to accomplish the project).
When the king asked him what he needed, it is obvious from Nehemiah's answer that his request was well thought-out. Here's the list that Nehemiah gave to the king:
- He needed a certain length of time
- He needed an escort for safe passageway
- He needed legal documents of permission to pass through the territories on the way to Jerusalem
- He needed access to the king's forests for lumber
- He needed supplies for himself & his party for the trip and their stay in Jerusalem
It amazes me how many churches do not plan for ministry. It's almost as if planning is unspiritual! But the scripture is clear that God is a God of order and He expects us to plan.
My background is Christian School ministry and I have seen many Christian Schools started on a dime, with the expectation that God will bless their unplanned efforts. Then they wonder why the school struggles along year after year, the teacher turnover is high, and they are always in the middle of some type of fund-raising effort.
The result is an educational program that is totally inadequate and teachers having to support the school by taking totally inadequate salaries, even by "ministry" standards.
This just isn't God's way!
I think that some pastors feel that planning is running ahead of God. But it isn't. It is being prepared for the moment God opens the door.
Don't get trapped into "stepping out by faith" without adequate planning and resources. You will need plenty of faith and trust in God, even when the venture is well planned and the resources are all in place. But jumping ahead of God by neglecting the planning stage of ministry is tempting God, and often brings disgrace to His name.
