Ask God first

2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 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 2:2-5)

I love this because Nehemiah states that he is afraid.  He knew what it was that he wanted to ask the king but such a large request, with a man that could easily end his life, Nehemiah was understandably afraid!  Notice though that Nehemiah prays before answering the king.  In the midst of the intensity of the situation He prays to God.  We don’t know what he prayed but it was probably along the lines of “God give me strength cause this is crazy!”  Nehemiah was bold and courageous because he knew what needed to be done in order to save Jerusalem, yet Nehemiah knew where His courage comes from and who was in control.

What I have learned from this is that I should do absolutely nothing without God.  That my life should always be a conversation with Him and any decisions need to start and end with God.  That even if I am afraid I am to follow through, because I have confidence that I have placed God first and that He is going before me.  To often I try and do it without God or ask Him to come in at bless it after I have already done everything!  God needs to be first in all of my undertakings and not last. Even if that is a simple prayer before asking a King for permission to build a wall!

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Nehemiah 2

Aint skeered

My daughter and my oldest son laid with me under the stars a few nights ago. We do this on occasion and it has become a favorite pastime. As we were gazing into the sky, looking for satellites and shooting stars, I asked them to be quiet for a while and listen to the sounds of the night. They did for a minute until they started getting the heeby-geebies. I assured them that there was nothing to fear and that daddy would not let anything harm them. This did not give them any peace and they both insisted that there was most assuredly a pack of wolves waiting outside the fence.

Since their father the protector was not going to be able to save them, and my son kept making scary howling noises (which were also scaring him), I figured we were nearing the end of our star gazing. Then, without prompting, my daughter spoke. With her most assertive voice she uttered, “Colton, we have nothing to fear because Jesus will protect us, we have nothing to be afraid of.” I laid there somewhat dumbfounded, because in this little voice truth rang out, and it spoke directly to me.

Standing on a hillside a giant of a man mocked the armies of the Lord, daring them to come and fight him. He did this day in and day out, and everyone cowered in fear. It wasn’t until a shepherd boy came, and upon hearing the slandering of this giant, decided to do something about it. He faced the giant with a sling and some rocks, and when the giant hurled insults at him this is what he said in reply: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.” To make a long story short, he kills the giant and eventually becomes the king of Israel.

Too often, I find that I am like the soldiers who were hiding–afraid to face the giant or a pack of wolves that is just outside my door. I put on a show as if it is wisdom that prevents me from facing them, not fear. For me the best thing to do is to merely let the fear go away, or pretend it is not there yelling at me! I try to convince myself, but I know the truth–I’m afraid. Fear is debilitating,crippling ,and leaves me unsure of myself. Jesus, on the other hand, fills my heart with courage and confidence. I become fearless because I know that I am not facing my fears alone. When we know Jesus, we have nothing to fear, it just takes a little girl or a shepherd boy to remind us.

Open it up

1 Samuel 17:41-47

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1 Samuel 17 (David and Goliath)