A note from our Senior Pastor
If You Build It, He Will Come, Nehemiah Part 1: Burden Before Breakthrough
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Every great work of God begins not with a blueprint, but with a broken heart. Before a single stone was laid in Jerusalem, there was a burden. Obedience to God invites His presence and activity. When we say yes to what He is stirring in us, He shows up in ways we could never manufacture on our own.
• The burden comes before the breakthrough
• God does not give you a burden without a plan
• The broken heart is the beginning of something extraordinary
Nehemiah’s first response was not a plan, it was prayer. His prayer gives us a three-part model for responding to the burdens God places on us:
1. CONFESSION (vs. 6-7) — He said ‘we,’ not ‘they.’ He owned the brokenness as his own. Corporate humility creates space for God to move.
2. COVENANT REMINDER (vs. 8-9) — He prayed Scripture back to God. He stood on God’s promises and said, ‘Lord, You said this. I am holding You to it.’ When walls look broken, go back to what God has said.
3. BOLD PETITION (vs. 10-11) — He asked specifically for favor before the king. Not vague. Not passive. He knew what he needed and he asked.
The prayer moves from humility to hope, from ‘we have sinned’ to ‘give me success today.’
Beloved, God does not give you a burden without a plan. The burden is not the end of the story, it is the beginning of the breakthrough.
We have a promise from God Almighty. If we build our lives on Jesus, the Cornerstone of our faith, He will come and lead us and guide us and shepherd us. Jesus said that He is the Vine and we are the branches. If we abide in Him, He promises to abide in us.
I pray that you will join us this Sunday as we study the life of Nehemiah. Christian, his story is our story too. Jesus wants to use you and I to build his glorious kingdom one life at a time.
I love y’all
doug |
