The Passage: Nehemiah 1:11
The Point: God has you where He wants you.
When we read the Bible, we tend to look at the people as extraordinary. We look at Nehemiah like we look at Michael Jordan in basketball, Steve Jobs in business, or Beethoven in music. We see them as people that we can’t compare to or live up to – people who are talked about years after their career. When we look at Nehemiah this way, it can be really harmful to us in two different ways. For one, we read about him and say, “He is that type of person…not like me.” With that frame of mind, we hinder ourselves. The second harm is that the Bible becomes a drain on us. We start exalting the work of man while diminishing the work of God. The Bible is full of sinners – people who resemble the hyper guy in the back row of the arena far more than they resemble Michael Jordan. And Nehemiah surely wasn’t perfect, BUT God still decided to use him.
At the end of chapter one, he finally plays his cards and tells us that he was a cupbearer to the king. He was the king’s right-hand man, trusted to test the king’s food and drink to make sure they weren’t poisoned. This was a good job and probably a nice quaint place to work ― unless the wine was poisoned. But Nehemiah doesn’t tell us his position to tell us his identity. He tells us his POSITION to tell us his MISSION.
God gave Nehemiah a burden and a position to do what God wanted him to do. God also gave you a burden and a position to do what God wants you to do. You are not in South Florida by chance. You are not at your job or school by chance. God has strategically placed YOU where HE wants you. You don’t have to be extraordinary; you just have to be available. You don’t have to start big and extravagantly; you can just take one step.
Processing:
- What’s your perspective on where God has you (South Florida, school, work, etc.)?
- If you were to tell that perspective to God, how do you think He would respond?
- Why do you think He wants you where He has you?
Planning:
- What’s one way you help the people in your job or school?
- What is your next step?