Dr H Reflections

Satisfying routine monotony ∙

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is to fear God and keep His commandments because this applies to every person. – Ecclesiastes 12:13

Hebrews 12:1-3

 1 Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Two rather lethargic high school dullards stumbled into their classroom before the other students arrived. There written on the blackboard was one word: A P A T H Y.

One turned to the other and said, “what does that mean?”

The other answered, “who cares?”

The times in which we live are filled with great concern for the future and the well-being of our families and society. Yet, at the same time, there is excessive withdrawal, isolation, and apathy.

The Father in His wisdom and foresight, led Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, to write Ecclesiastes. It examines the futility of life, despair, and apathy. It is depressive yet ends with great optimism presenting the Father’s blueprint for experiencing ultimate meaning and purpose. “Thus, the dominant mood of the book is pessimism, but the author, Solomon, was no pessimist, cynic, or skeptic as some critics have claimed” (Glenn). His search succeeds. He reveals the answer he discovered in the final chapter. Solomon expresses his faith and confidence in the Father. 

Because of the largely pessimistic tone of the book, Ecclesiastes is often passed over and neglected. What a tragic mistake!

It does not present Truth, in a traditional sense. Rather it presents the search for truth. It is a mental journey. To get to the truth requires contemplation, patience, and a bit of reverse engineering. It is not about simply believing and accepting Solomon’s thoughts and conclusions. Rather, to glean Solomon’s wisdom requires recognizing and identifying with Solomon’s stream of consciousness and thought process. He invites the reader to enter into his thought process and follow along.

Ecclesiastes chronicles Solomon’s blind, yet systematic search for meaning and purpose in the world and culture in which he lived. He experiments with everything he can get his hands on to no avail. “Ecclesiastes could be accurately described as a report on the failed quest for eternal life” (Garrett). Solomon demonstrates the futility of “all human effort to provide any real meaning, value, or significance to their lives ‘under the sun’ and to drive them to trust in God alone” (Glenn). Nothing on earth satisfies the deep hunger and thirst of his soul, spirit, and mind. No created thing provides what he was seeking. That is Solomon’s intent.

Life without the Father just does not “work,” even if one can manage to accumulate wealth, fame, popularity, and power (Stanley).

However, after years of wandering in the wilderness of despair, confusion, and disillusionment, applying due diligence and contemplation, Solomon finally discovers what brings meaning and purpose to life on planet Earth. He emerges triumphantly confident. He expresses his credo regarding the purpose of life as follows.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 When all is said and done, here is my final conclusion: revere God and observe his commands, this is everyone’s duty.

REFLECT & PRAY

Ecclesiastes speaks volumes to our increasingly secular, pagan society and the negative miasmas of our times.

Father, it is so easy to be discouraged, encourage me to persevere knowing that the final destination is to revere You and follow Your instructions.

INSIGHT

Ecclesiastes is one man’s journey seeking meaning and satisfaction. But Solomon’s search for understanding goes on chapter after chapter as though he is an atheist. His search does not include or take advantage of the knowledge provided by the Father. His efforts demonstrate that without the Father and His perspective, life has no meaning. His frequent refrain is “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

Other translations put it like this:

“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” (NLT).

“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher, “Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!” (NET).

Solomon’s search to find satisfaction in life ended magnificently. Ecclesiastes reconstructs his quest from the vantage point of one who finally found the answers! The search itself chronicles frustration, contradiction, and a jumble of dead ends. Ecclesiastes recreates his agonizing and exasperating journey with all of the angst involved. Is it sad, conflicted, and often contradictory.

His approach is to present his ideas and musings in such a way to allow others to identify with him. The book is intentionally gritty and keeps the reader on edge.

The Ecclesiastes opens with the writer complaining about the endless cycles of daily human life as futile and meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.

Life is full of tasks, that once done are never really done. They have to be repeated over and over again. Some are routine and simple; others are sheer drudgery and distasteful. It only takes a bit of visualization and imagination to recall to mind onerous repetitive tasks one has endured.

Is there any beauty or fulfillment to be found in mundane, monotonous routines? Consider Paul’s words to the Colossians.

Colossians 3:23-24

 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather for people.

 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

To realize this in our lives requires a perspective transformation. While the apostle Paul is talking about the first-century servants in a traditional sense, the principles apply to present-day employees. As children of the King, we should strive to be the best workers in our companies. We should follow guidelines and not argue. We do not simply serve our boss, but also the Lord Jesus Christ. Our ultimate reward comes not from our earthly boss but rather from the Lord Jesus Christ (Wiersbe).  

Ecclesiastes 12:14 God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 6-08-9

Coming to your census ∙

David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel – from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south – so I may know how many people there are.” – 2 Samuel 24:2

2 Samuel 24:10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, LORD, for doing this foolish thing.”

What is an adult? Being an adult can be defined by one word: responsibility. Taking personal responsibility is what separates a child from an adult. Children, when caught in a wrong, often look for someone or something else to blame. And there is that secret, or not so secret, hope and expectation that someone will come to the rescue and get them out of trouble.

Adults realize that they are completely responsible for themselves, their actions, and the consequences of their actions. An adult will readily admit when they are wrong and will attempt to make things right. Their credo is: “It is up to me.”

Spiritual adulthood is similar. A mature child of the King attempts to live by the Father’s standards, recognizes and acknowledges wrongdoing, agrees with the Father and seeks forgiveness and cleansing. Their credo is: “It is up to me to seek to do and be all that the Father desires for me.”

In the United States, a census is conducted every 10 years to determine the population and realign the delegates of the House of Representatives appropriately.

Similarly, David decides to take a census. The census David conducted had nothing to do with national citizenship. He did it for an entirely different reason and he was wrong for doing so. Why were his actions inappropriate? It has to do with the purpose behind the census.

In ancient Israel, there was nothing illegal about taking a national census. It had been done before without arousing the attention and disapproval of the Father (Numbers 1, Numbers 26). The Torah laid down rules and guidelines for taking a census (Exodus 30:11–16). It was one of the means available to fund the work and pay the bills for the sacrificial system (Exodus 38:25-28). Later on, it was called a temple tax (Matthew 17:24–27).

The Scriptures make it clear that the census that David ordered was not to collect a temple tax. It was a military census pure and simple. David was counting the strength of his military forces. The census determined that 1.3 million soldiers were available for battle (2 Samuel 24:2).

The Old Testament referred to a census as numbering the people. If a king needed to go to war, it was the way to determine the size of their military forces. How many troops would be under their command? That seems like a good strategic move, what could possibly be wrong with that?

Who is the commander-in-chief of the armies of Israel?

The Father, the Lord God Almighty, is the Commander of the armies of Israel. The kings of Israel were to depend upon the power and might of the Father and not the size of the military. The Father would supply whatever was needed, not human soldiers. The Father did not need to take a census to determine the number of soldiers in Israel. He already knew. As commander, it was His prerogative to issue the order, not David’s.

David was motivated by pride. On the one hand, David demonstrated a blatant lack of trust in the dependability and leadership of the Father. On the other hand, David displayed his utter hubris. How important David must have felt being the “commander” of such a large military force. It was all about bragging rights.

REFLECT & PRAY

Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Rather than become a prisoner of the Bourbons, Prussians, or Austrians, he surrendered to the British. Why? He realized that the British would be harsh but just.

Father, You are just and merciful. I often find myself in desperate situations! I take full responsibility for my wrongful actions and surrender myself to You.

INSIGHT

Trouble was brewing. Coming judgment was certain. The Father is faithful and just. He forgives our sins when we confess (1 John 1:9), but He does not remove the consequences. We reap what we sow. Nevertheless, the Father often shows sublime kindness and mercy. The Father sends His prophet Gad to confront David.

2 Samuel 24:11-13

 11 The next morning the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message:

 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”

 13 So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the LORD who sent me.”

In essence, the Father allowed David to choose his own punishment. It was like the American TV show – Let’s Make a Deal which started in 1963.

Behind door number one – three years of famine throughout the land.

Behind door number two – three months of fleeing from enemies.

Behind door number three – three days of severe plague throughout the land.

Although David was guilty of occasional lapses in judgment, his response revealed the heart of a mature child of the King. David knew the Father intimately and depended upon His loyal love and mercy.

2 Samuel 24:14 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”

David chooses punishment directly from the Father’s hands. It would be harsh, but it would be just. The justice of people is often unpredictable, capricious, and lacking mercy and grace. The Father’s justice is not.

The Father sent an angel of destruction and three days of plague began. Regrettably, many people died. David was grieved and guilty. The angel was about to strike Jerusalem, and David pleaded with the Father on behalf of the people of the city.

2 Samuel 24:17 When David saw the angel, he said to the LORD, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep – what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”

David loved sheep. Both the four-footed woolly kind and the two-footed human variety. The best of David is now on display. David took full responsibility. He was the sinful party; he is the one who deserved to be punished. He was the one who ordered the census, not the people of Israel. He had not realized that his sinful act would have such devastating collateral damage on others not involved in the decision.

He who had acted like a selfish, prideful king was now acting as a selfless shepherd. He asked that the Father punish him and his household rather than the innocent sheep of the house of Israel.

David was a man after the Father’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). The Father responded in grace, lovingkindness, and mercy.

Ezekiel 18:32 I take no delight in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign LORD.

2 Samuel 24:16 But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!”

David was so right about the Father and His loving and merciful heart. The Father issued a pardon, the sentence was reduced to “time served.” The pestilence already received was sufficient. Further punishment was quashed, and the plague was over.

Before the story ends, we get one more glimpse into David’s heart and his sacrificial devotion to the Father. Gad told him to build an altar on the spot of land that was already owned by another. It was the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:18).

Remember that David was king and as such he could pretty much take whatever he wanted. But David wanted to buy the threshing floor from Araunah. Araunah offered to give it to David free and clear. But David refused.

2 Samuel 24:24 “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.”

Sacrifice by its very nature requires that a price be paid. Sacrifice involves cost, it is never free.

All adults know that.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 10-27-9

About time to act ∙

God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He saw the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. – Exodus 2:24-25

Galatians 4:4-5

 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology showed that the things we remember get better with age. How is that exactly? It is known that older individuals tend to regulate their emotions more effectively than those who are younger.

The participants were divided into three groups by age: 18-29, 41-53, and 65-80. In the study, they were shown three sets of images: positive, negative, and neutral. Then they tested the participants on their recall and recognition of the images.

Older adults recalled and recognized fewer negative images relative to positive and neutral ones. Although both the younger and older participants spent more time viewing the negative images, however only the younger group remembered them better. The conclusion reached was that while negative things happen to older adults, they don’t dwell on them (Psychology Today, Anne Becker).

When the Father remembers something, what does the word remember mean?

When the Old Testament says that the Father remembers someone or He remembers His promise to someone, it has a totally different connotation than what we might think.

The Father knows all things all the time, He never learns anything, and He never forgets anything. He has not been unaware, forgetful, or unconcerned. He is not suddenly overcome by forgetfulness. Nor does the Father respond impulsively or rashly.

When the Father “remembers” it’s not about the recollection of something temporarily forgotten, but rather simply recalling it to mind. When He remembers something or someone, He puts it on center stage and focuses on it.

But there’s more!

When the Father remembers someone, it’s not merely a mental activity. He remembers so that He might act on behalf of those remembered. Thus, embedded in the action of remembering is getting ready to act. He is preparing to fulfill His commitments and promises to those remembered.

The Hebrew verb translated remember is zakar. Zakar is typically translated remember and has the sense to recall knowledge from memory or have a recollection. However, it has a special significance when used regarding the Father. He does not merely remember, but remembering implies that He will take the appropriate action. “God’s remembrance of his covenant results in delivering his people (Exodus 2:24) or in preserving them (Leviticus 26:44-45)” (TWOT).

The Scriptures provide a record of the activity of the Father in human history. The Father intervenes at various times to carry out His purposes.

The sequence which is revealed is quite straightforward. The Father promises and then the Father waits. At the appropriate time, the Father remembers and acts.

Regarding the events of the Exodus, the Father waited for the proper time and now He is about to take action. He is ready to fulfill His promises.

He spent 80 years preparing Moses for service. “Moses was 40 years in Egypt learning something; he was 40 years in the desert learning to be nothing, and he was 40 years in the wilderness proving God to be everything” (Ryken and Hughes).

Among other things, the Father enrolled Moses in a special anger management program. His classmates were sheep. Graduation day came when Moses saw the burning bush on the mountain. On Mount Sinai, Moses met the Father, and the rest was history.

REFLECT & PRAY

The Father is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.

Father, it seems that I am frequently in a hurry and rarely on time. This needs to change. Help me to recognize that You are controlling all of the events in my life. You have both a plan and a timetable.

INSIGHT

The Father promises then waits. The fabric of His plan is complex and filled with multitudes of people, places, and circumstances that all must be in place to set the stage for His irruption into the timeline of human history.

Galatians 4:4 When the right time came, God sent his Son

Before the foundation of the world, the Father had appointed a time and a place for His Son to come into the world. At just the right time, the fullness of time, the appointed time the Lord Jesus Christ came. It could not have come a moment sooner.

During the first century, the Roman Empire controlled the known world. It brought relative peace (Pax Romana) and stability. Greek had become an international language. An extensive “interstate highway system” had been developed, the Roman Way. It provided safe and rapid travel. Travel by water via the Mediterranean Sea added another layer of the rapid, relatively safe movement of people and information.

As a result, when the gospel was proclaimed, it spread rapidly throughout the known world and beyond. This was not a coincidence. It was planned.

“From the historical point of view, the Roman Empire itself helped prepare the world for the birth of the Savior. Roads connected city with city, and all cities ultimately with Rome. Roman laws protected the rights of citizens, and Roman soldiers guarded the peace. Thanks to both the Greek and Roman conquests, Latin and Greek were known across the empire. Christ’s birth at Bethlehem was not an accident; it was an appointment: Jesus came in ‘the fullness of the time.’ (And, it is worth noting, that He will come again when the time is ready)” (Wiersbe).

God is at work all the time. All the time God is at work. Perhaps it is once again about time for the Father to act.

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Junk food

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. – Isaiah 55:2

1 Peter 2:2-3

 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,

 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

A typical American diet is chock-full of unhealthy foods high in calories from sugar or fat. Such foods have little dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, or other nutritional elements. These items have been labeled as junk food. A synonymous term is HFSS foods (high in fat, salt, and sugar).

Junk food has no precise definition and things change over time. Most junk food is highly processed food. Even high-protein foods, like meat or fish when prepared with saturated fat, may be considered junk food. Fast food or fast-food restaurants are often seen as the poster child for junk food.

There are many concerns regarding the negative health effects of consuming junk food, particularly obesity and diabetes, memory and learning problems, even depression. Many public health awareness campaigns and restrictions on advertising are part of a national effort to improve the health of the American people.

But what about spiritual junk food? So often this is overlooked by children of the King. We consume it without thinking.

“It is no secret that Christ’s Church is not at all in good health in many places of the world. She has been languishing because she has been fed, as the current line has it, ‘junk food;’ all kinds of artificial preservatives and all sorts of unnatural substitutes have been served up to her” (Walter Kaiser).

As a result, Kaiser notes that theological and biblical malnutrition has “afflicted the very generation that has taken such giant steps to make sure its physical health is not damaged by using foods or products that are carcinogenic or otherwise harmful to their bodies.” How ironic!

We spend money on food that does not provide strength or benefit. Our paltry spiritual food also is also of little value. We must seek to raise the bar and reject junk food. We start by craving the pure milk of the word. The pure unadulterated milk of the word is the antithesis of spiritual junk food. Each child of the King should intensely desire it.

The Greek word translated crave, yearn, or long is epipotheo. Epipotheo literally means to “long for.” It expresses an intense, passionate, strong desire for something. Thus it has the sense, “to be thirsty always for spiritual milk, in the same way that newborn babies are always thirsty for their mother’s milk” (UBS).

Take away: as newborn babes cry for milk, every child of the King should long for the word of God (Black & Black).

REFLECT & PRAY

The pure milk of the word is not just for babies. All children of the King, young or old in the faith should thirst for the Word of God in the same way that infants cry for milk.

Father, I pray that I will continually crave the pure milk of Your Word and settle for nothing less.

INSIGHT

When we consume spiritual junk food, it leaves us weak and spiritually flabby. Our hearts and souls suffer from malnutrition and spiritual malaise. We become spiritually dull. We can hear but we do not seem to listen and cannot take in solid food.

Hebrews 5:11-14

 11 . . . And you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.

 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.

 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.

 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Just as there is a normal pattern for early childhood development, so there is a normal pattern for spiritual development. The children of the King to whom the Book of Hebrews was written were suffering from a tragic case of arrested development. “As a result, they were now ‘dull of hearing;’ that is, unable to listen to the Word, receive it, and act on it” (Wiersbe).

Because their spiritual diet was inadequate, they were not properly nourished. Although enough time has passed, they never got past the basics. They were unable to make progress toward maturity. Further, there was additional collateral damage. They slipped back. They had forgotten what they had learned. Instead of being teachers of the truth, they needed teachers of the truth to come and teach them all over again.

Spiritual health is analogous to physical health. For muscles to perform properly, they have to be exercised. When they are, they stay strong, flexible, and functional. But without exercise, muscles atrophy and become weak, and lack muscle tone. When our spirit is not properly exercised, it becomes feeble.

Chronologically they were no longer baby believers. But they retrogressed and now they were functioning like infants. They could no longer eat solid food and had to return to milk.

Spiritual junk food has the same deleterious effect on almost anyone who consumes it.

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• 

Much is required

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. – Luke 12:48

Nehemiah 2:1-8

 1 I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence.

 2 So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified,

 3 but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

 4 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven,

 5 I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”

 6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.

 7 I also said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah.

 8 And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on me.

In 1947, due to the risk of a nuclear attack, the Presidential Succession Act was enacted to maintain continuity of government. Henceforth, a designated survivor was identified in the presidential line of succession. When the president and other officials in the line of succession gather in one place, this person is secured in a distant, undisclosed location. If a catastrophic event kills the President and the other high-ranking officials, the designated survivor becomes the President of the United States.

In the TV series, Designated Survivor, Kiefer Sutherland plays Thomas Kirkman, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He has been chosen as the designated survivor and suddenly ascends to the office of President of the United States. Kirkman is thrust into the most important job on earth. Much is required.

How does the Father prepare us to take on responsibility? Simple, He gives us responsibility. As we grow and learn to faithfully carry out our responsibilities, we grow into the “job.” He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much (Luke 16:10). The Father’s strategy is always the same. He knows in advance what He has planned for our lives and how we will go about accomplishing it. He provides us with the natural talent, life experiences, and spiritual gifts we need to get the job done.

Some children of the King have little ability, status, training, or talent.

1 Corinthians 1:26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.

Other children of the King have much. Paul was given an overabundance of ability, brainpower, spiritual insight, revelation, and the drive to accomplish all that he was required to do. By the grace of God, he was empowered and accomplished much.

Philippians 3:4-6

 4 I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

 5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin– a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.

 6 . . . And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

REFLECT & PRAY

How did Paul do what he did? He learned the open secret of the power of complete submission to the Father. Paul focused on his weaknesses, rather than on his strengths. In weakness, he became strong in the Father’s power and authority (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Father thank You that you have made me weak that I find strength in You.

INSIGHT

Nehemiah was the cupbearer of Artaxerxes king of Persia. His high-ranking position afforded him frequent access to the king. Nehemiah heard about the dismal conditions of Jerusalem from visitors to the land of Judah. He began to pray that the Father would grant him favor before the king and allow him to restore Jerusalem and its walls. Nehemiah’s prayer is a model for all children of the King to follow (Nehemiah 1:5-11). He prayed for four months. During that time, the Father placed a plan regarding Jerusalem into his heart (Nehemiah 2:12). Nehemiah undoubtedly thought through what steps of action were needed to carry out the Father’s plan.

Finally, the big day came, after four months Nehemiah got his chance. He entered into the king’s presence. King Artaxerxes saw how gloomy and dejected Nehemiah was. He inquired about it. Nehemiah poured out his heart to the king. He was sad because of the decimated condition of Jerusalem and its walls. Then he popped the big question. He asked for permission to leave Susa and journey to Jerusalem and restore it. The king had only one question, “How long will you be gone?” Artaxerxes granted his request and supplied what was necessary. He provided protection, all the timber he needed from the royal forests, and royal passes guaranteeing safe travel to Jerusalem.

Nehemiah provides two key insightful cameos regarding his experience. First, although he had been praying for months, when it came time to answer the King’s question, Nehemiah made a flash-prayer, a quickie for insight and the words to speak before he answered (Nehemiah 2:4). Second, Nehemiah let it be known that his prayers were answered because the gracious hand of the Father was on him (Nehemiah 2:8).

Humanly speaking, the Father dumped the truck on Nehemiah all at once. Nehemiah had no training for such a task. He had never been to wall reconstruction school. His preparation consisted of his deeply personal relationship with the Father and a consistent walk of faith that honored Him and the people that he served. His preparation was a life well-lived before the Father and man. The Father gave him responsibility and he rose to the occasion one brick at a time.

Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

In the Father’s kingdom, on-the-job training may take a large portion of a person’s life. Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David are examples from the Old Testament. For extended portions of their lives, they were isolated, unproductive, and experienced life-threatening dilemmas. Others such as Daniel seem to have been born ready.

When the Father entrusts His children with high-octane abilities and responsibilities, far greater expectations are placed upon them and they are held to a higher standard.

Too often we offer the Father excuses for our unwillingness to respond in faith: self-doubt, inadequacy, lack of skill or preparation, and fear. But the Father already has an answer prepared to encourage each child of the King to follow His lead.

Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.

Take away: “It is possible to move men through God by prayer alone” (Hudson Taylor).

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