The theme of Nehemiah chapters 1-7 is that God wants you to invest your life in His work. … God has work for you, an assignment, a mission for you. This extends to all Christians, not just preachers. Look at Nehemiah. He was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. His job was to taste everything before the king to protect the king from poison. Nehemiah was not a preacher or priest or prophet, but God had an assignment for him.
Background of the Book of Nehemiah
650 BC: First exiles taken to Babylon (including Daniel)
597 BC: Second group taken to Babylon (including Ezekiel)
586 BC: Jerusalem destroyed by Babylon
539 BC: Persia conquers Babylon
538 BC: First exiles return to Jerusalem
536 BC: Temple construction begins
520 BC: Haggai and Zechariah urge completion of temple
516 BC: Temple construction is finished
479 BC: Esther becomes queen of Persia
458 BC: Second group returns to Jerusalem (including Ezekiel)
445 BC: Nehemiah learns the walls are not rebuilt
The key to discovering the assignments God has for you: Be attentive to the burdens God places on your heart. You will find God’s work for your life where the needs of the world the burdens of your heart intersect. … In Nehemiah 1:1-4, Nehemiah is told that those who went back to Jerusalem are in not doing well and the walls are still down. He weeps. In Nehemiah 2:12 we see that God put it in his heart to go back and help complete the wall. John 16:8 says that the Holy Spirit is at work in the whole world, convicting people of their sin. The Spirit makes people feel guilty because He loves people. Guilt is what causes us to see our sin. John 16:13 shows us that the Holy Spirit guides us to do certain tasks. … Sometimes it’s hard to hear the promptings of God because we have so much going on. We need to be quiet and listen sometimes. Sometimes we try to do so many good things that we miss out on what we are actually called to do. Say no to some good things so you say yes to God things.
Evaluate your sense of calling to see if it is from God:
Pray about it. … Prayer is a big deal in the book of Nehemiah. Prayer is one of the most common ways we hear God. It is how we seek direction from God.
Check against scripture. … If it goes against scripture, do not do it. Read everything God promised to His people.
Get ready to do something. Get ready to join Him. … Prepare for the task at hand. Ask God for help. Prayer and action go hand in hand.
God works through the Holy Spirit to guide us to do bring glory to God. But we have to be attentive enough to hear God’s word. It takes a tuned ear to hear God’s voice. Pray and study the Word to tune yours.