How to Plan, Prepare, and Persist in the Work of God
Are you a planner? Or do you tend to fly by the seat of your pants?I'd like to say I'm a planner, but much of the past 4ish years of my life have felt incredibly unplanned.Should we even make plans? I mean, the Bible says, "A person's heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps," and "Many plans are in a person's heart, but the Lord's decree with prevail." Sometimes it seems like making plans of my own is pointless if God's plans will prevail instead.The reality is that planning is good. Planning honors God. The Bible doesn't just tell us to plan, it gives us examples of how to plan.Nehemiah provides a great example of how to plan well. Often, this book is thought of as just the story of rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. But it is much, much more. Zooming out from the specifics of rebuilding the wall, we can see a clear blueprint for how to plan, prepare, and persist in the work God calls us to.Whether God is calling you to build a house or start a Bible study, Nehemiah's blueprint is a helpful tool. Let's take a look at what we can glean from this Old Testament prophet:
Pray fervently.
Multiple times throughout the book of Nehemiah we see Nehemiah going to God in prayer. Nehemiah's prayers are filled with emotion, have a serious tone, and are persistent. His prayers confess sin. They are rooted in Israel's identify as God's people and grounded on God's faithfulness and promises. Nehemiah's prayers are not always private prayers - some are congregational prayers where others unite with him. His prayers reveal his faith in God, his surrender and submission to God, and his dependence on God for success.Our prayers concerning our plans should be marked by the same characteristics. When we clothe our plans with prayer, and take prayer seriously as a tool in planning, God is glorified. Sometimes this means our prayers are accompanied by periods of fasting or time of retreat or rest. Sometimes this means we need to invite others to pray with us. And sometimes, if not most times, this means our prayers need to be persistent. Praying about a big decision, or praying for the success of something is rarely a one-and-done prayer; it is a continuous prayer over days, weeks, months, or even years. We must remember prayer is a crucial aspect of planning, preparing, and persisting in the work God calls us to.
Wait patiently.
Prayer doesn't guarantee immediate success. In his commentary on Nehemiah, TJ Betts states, "Even when believers pray about the right things with the right motives, God still sometimes delays in answering so that our perseverance in prayer may become a lesson in itself." The reality is that we need to be patient. Too often do we rush into something and attempt to accomplish it in our own strength. We must remember to wait patiently on the Lord. His plans are higher than ours, His ways are better. And sometimes, it takes time for us humans to discern His direction. When pursing the work God calls us to, we must be willing to wait patiently.
Act courageously.
In our waiting, it is easy to become discouraged. Especially if we are seeking to accomplish something that seems beyond our ability. Nehemiah prayed and waited, but when it was time to act, he did so courageously, resting in God's power and strength. We must learn to do the same. Betts recognized this in his commentary on Nehemiah, stating "Courage is not the absence of fear but it is acting in the face of fear." Having courage requires a shift in perspective. When we focus on God's ability, rather than our own inability or the abilities of those around us, we can press on courageously.
Prepare thoroughly.
Acting courageously doesn't mean we boldly flail about with no plan. Nehemiah prepared thoroughly for the task before him - he didn't say, "I'm going to rebuild the wall!" and then show up to Jerusalem empty handed. He assessed what was needed to rebuild the wall and secured the materials. Additionally, we see in Nehemiah 2 that one of the first steps Nehemiah took in preparing for the task at hand was to rest. Rest is a blessing, but it is also a necessity for us as humans. When we are not well rested, our judgement is clouded and we often have a difficult time making decisions.God is worthy of our very best efforts and resources. Nehemiah recognized this and planned carefully and thoroughly to ensure that is what God got. He thoroughly planned for the task at hand, through careful examination and investigation. We would be wise to take the same approach. We give God our best when we are well-rested, sober-minded, and properly prepared for the work at hand. This is a practical step with immense benefits.
Divide and conquer efficiently.
Part of planning thoroughly involves enlisting the help of others. Nehemiah did this by dividing the tasks among the Israelites. He recognized rebuilding the wall was a team effort, requiring the skills and resources of many people. We, too, must learn to divide and conquer. In our pride, we often take on loads meant for more than one person to carry. This leaves us exhausted, burnt-out, and frustrated, often resulting in an unfinished task. In our planning, preparation, and persistence in accomplishing the work God calls us to, we must be willing to enlist the help of others. We were not meant to do life alone.
Recognize resistance and respond to opposition appropriately.
When we are obedient, opposition comes. There is no doubt about it. Doing the work of God will always stir up the enemies of God. Whether the opposition comes in the form of spiritual attack or human resistance, it will come. Much of the resistance and opposition we face comes in the form of discouragement. When God calls us to a task, it is more often than not something that we could not accomplish in our own strength; it requires God to work. We become discouraged when we take our eyes off of the strength of God and focus on our own weakness. We must fight against this temptation.Nehemiah and the Israelites faced intense intimidation and threat while rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah responded by recognizing God for who He is and by practically setting up systems to protect those doing the work of God. They prayed, continued the work, and took practical actions to protect themselves from attack. We must do the same when we face resistance and opposition for doing the work of God. May we fight discouragement through recognizing the power of God, may we find refuge in our prayers to Him, may we practically set up systems to protect us from spiritual opposition and resistance from others around us so that we can press on in fulfilling God's call.
Prioritize joyfully.
Big tasks require us to prioritize. We are human; we can not do all the things all the time. When doing the work of God, we must prioritize the glory of God above all else. In Nehemiah 7, we see Nehemiah prioritize four things: the praise of God, the principles of God, the people of God, and the purpose of God. When we frame our mindset around these things, our priorities will be aligned properly. We will face much distraction in our tasks, so we must learn to prioritize what is truly important. As Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." May we joyfully set our minds on the things above, fighting against the temptation to be distracted by earthly things. This will help us accomplish the task God has set before us.
Persist humbly.
We will face opposition and distraction. Nehemiah certainly did, as has every human since the beginning of time. As believers, we must choose to persist humbly. This means, like Nehemiah, we continue to cry out to God for help, recognizing we will not succeed without Him. Nehemiah humbly pointed Israel back to the word of God and the faithfulness of the works of God. He prayed humbly, admitting sin and professing loyalty to God who is all-powerful. He pressed on and persisted in humility, not his own strength or will-power, but solely relying on God. May we be marked by the same humble persistence in our pursuits.
Reorient continually.
Finally, Nehemiah reveals the necessity to reorient ourselves continually. It did not take the Israelites long to return to lives of disobedience to the laws of God. Nehemiah left Jerusalem for a short period, and upon returning found God's people failing to be faithful to their responsibilities and failing to pursue holiness. There was a deep need for the Israelites to reorient themselves to God and His words. The same deep need exists in our hearts. It is too easy to forget God and His words. We get caught up in doing "good work" or in the euphoria of seeing a task completed successfully and let our hearts and minds focus on things other than God. Being obedient to God requires continuous reorientation to Him and His words. If we truly want to successfully plan, prepare, and persist in the work God calls us to, we must reorient our minds and hearts to the truths of Scripture.My hope is that this blueprint for how to plan, prepare, and persist in the work God calls us to is beneficial for you as you seek to let your light shine for the glory of God. What do you sense Him calling you to do? Let me know in the comments so I can join you in prayer for the task ahead of you!