O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Nehemiah1:11
There is no doubt that Nehemiah was a very successful leader. From gaining the king's permission and funding to completion of the wall project, Nehemiah demonstrated superior leadership skills.
I believe that the success of Nehemiah’s leadership was a result of three things:
- His thorough knowledge of God’s Word
- His deep trust in God’s character
- His steadfast reliance upon God’s faithfulness and grace
Knowledge of God’s Word
It is evident that he was thoroughly acquainted with the Scriptures, because he understand why they were in captivity and he was familiar with God’s promise to restore them to the land after 70 years.Trust in God’s character
Nehemiah knew the character of God, and that is where he put his trust. It is evident from His prayer that He believed God would do what He said He would do.
Reliance upon God’s faithfulness and grace
He repeatedly acknowledged God’s hand upon the project, from beginning to end. He knew that, in himself, there was no solution to Jerusalem's situation. It had to be God!
Biblical leadership is not the leadership of a man figuring out the best way to solve a problem or accomplish a project. Biblical leadership is Walking with God, living and leading in dependance upon His faithfulness, wisdom and provision.
