CREED, Rebuilding Your Family FortressSample

2. Fortune Favors the Bold

We have all heard this phrase, ‘Fortune Favors the Bold.’

And it’s true that when we operate with boldness, things start happening. When we as men step up and start putting confident effort into problem-solving, things start shifting. But here’s another truth to accompany the above-mentioned. God Favors the Obedient!

When we don’t understand the context and dates, we read Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2 like it’s only a day apart. However, it was only four to five months later that Nehemiah discussed his concerns about and his plans for Jerusalem’s walls with the king. Nehemiah likely waited for the right opportunity, hoped for favor, diligently kept praying and probably even grew tired of the process – as we see here today. For the first time ever, his face was sad in the king’s presence. And the king most likely had wine more than every four to five months or so.

We would all grow tired of such a process as well. In fact, most of us have grown tired of various processes in our own families and personal lives.

But boldness without obedience is only self-assurance, and it might even be misplaced. But waiting without acting is passivity, which is the original sin of masculinity (Genesis 3:6). Jesus challenged us to weigh the cost before we make commitments (Luke 14:28-30). Yet when we know we must act and we still sit back passively, we are not following His will either (Luke 14:27). Paul later encourages us to keep praying, living in obedience to God’s Word, and use every opportunity we can to show and tell others about God (Colossians 4:2-6).

Today we see Nehemiah taking courage and using the opportunity put forward by the king himself. Patient, persistent prayer pays off and now responsibility is taken to the next level. Enthusiasm and excellence kept him going for months now, but on this day that the king saw a chink in his cup bearer’s armor, Nehemiah had to show what he was truly devoted to. And after waiting obediently, Nehemiah now stepped out in boldness to ask the King of Heaven to supply all his needs through this king of the earth. And he does not hold anything back!

As men, as fathers, we can also petition our King with the same boldness to ask Him to supply our family’s needs, as well as our own. God knows what we need, but also urges us to ask it of Him. And as we keep stepping out with courage into our day jobs, taking up responsibility for our wives and children, doing our due diligence in excellence while enthusiastically following God – He rewards our dedicated devotion to His calling. As another saying goes, ‘You do your best and God will do the rest!’

But take heed, you will need to stay courageous, responsible, excellent, enthusiastic, and devoted. For as God provides for us to do His will in our work and family lives, the enemy also start putting up resistance in the hostile world at work, school, and society at large. This will test our CREED to its limits. And this is also something that we see happened in Nehemiah’s story…

So, let’s gear up!

Inspect your own walls:

1. Which elements of the CREED do you see portrayed most in this chapter of Nehemiah? (Courage, Responsibility, Excellence, Enthusiasm, or Devotion)

2. How have you been, or can you start, applying this in your own life?

3. What must you fully devote to God in prayer today?