Obeying the Nudge of God

After the multiple warnings of God to the children of Israel to turn away from sin and come back to him, they continued in their idolatrous ways and persecuted the prophets. Finally, God gave them into the hands of the Babylonians, who destroyed their cities, killed many of the people, burned the temple, broke down the walls, and carried some of the Israelites away to Babylon. They left only the poorest people in the wasted land of Jerusalem.

Years after the fall of Babylon, Shushan became the capital of the ruling empire of the day, and after the victory God gave to the Jews in the book of Esther, some of them became prominent men in the new capital. Amongst these men was Nehemiah, who was the king's cupbearer. One day, some of his brethren came from Judah and told him about the state of Jerusalem and the people who were there. When he heard these words, he sat down, wept, mourned certain days, fasted, and prayed before God.

When he returned to his duty, it was obvious that he was sad, and King Artaxerxes noticed it. The king asked why he had a sad countenance, so Nehemiah told him about the state of Jerusalem and the people who lived there. He then made three requests of the king. He asked to be sent to Jerusalem so that he could build the city. He asked for letters to the governors beyond the river, so that they would help make his journey peaceful. And he asked for a letter to the keeper of the king's forest, so that he would give him wood to build the gates and the walls of Jerusalem. The king granted all these requests.

Nehemiah left for Jerusalem. He completed the journey successfully, surveyed the land, then told his people what God had placed in his heart to do and the favour that had been granted unto him. This motivated the people of Jerusalem, "so they strengthened their hands for this good work" [Nehemiah 2:18]. Nehemiah had a nudge in his heart after he heard of the state of Jerusalem. He most likely did not know the scale of the damage, the amount of resources he would need, or the threats and other challenges that come with such an undertaking, yet he committed the endeavour into the hands of God and embarked on it.

Throughout the Bible there are many men whom God used to do great things, but many of them had to be convinced before they even decided to obey God. Not that they were bad people. Some were deeply humbled by life [Moses, Exodus 2-4], and some thought they were unworthy [Gideon, Judges 6], hence they asked for evidence before they agreed to do the work God had assigned to them.

Has God placed something in your heart? Don't wait for a miracle before you embark on it. Sometimes you might feel it is a trap from the devil. Search the word of God, pray about it, and speak to other brethren in the faith. If it is the will of God, he will confirm it. You don't have to understand the whole plan. Just take a step in faith, trust God to guide you, and he will establish the work of your hands.

I pray that you'll receive the courage to obey the nudge of God when it comes to you, in Jesus' name. Amen.