[Nehemiah] Now Is The TimeSample

Reconnaissance Man

Have you ever been on a reconnaissance mission to assess an upcoming project? If you were prudent, you probably did not divulge any details until you checked and re-checked your findings. Ever wonder why many of our ventures fail? Could it be that we have not taken the time to carefully plan them from stage to stage? Or that we procrastinate? Or that we discuss them openly with everyone, with the intention of calling attention to ourselves? An old proverb declares, “There is many a slip between the cup and the lip”—meaning plans can fail between the time we conceive them and the time they are executed. Sage advice for us to heed.

Nehemiah was astute; he had a strategic urban plan figured out, but he told no one until he believed the time was right. After secretly assessing the damage for himself at night, he returns home before dawn to put his strategy to work. Nehemiah was assured that God was backing his plan. Nevertheless, there were things he needed to do beforehand in preparation for the work to begin. The assessment was Job #1.

Reflect

Assess those areas of your city where the marginalized live. Could you and your family live there? What would need to be done to make it habitable for you? Which city agencies would you call in order to get services started or restored?

Respond

Form a coalition of concerned citizens. Join hands with churches and local social services and/or civic agencies to improve the quality of life for those who live in depressed areas.

Pray

Lord, my plans are in your hand. Help me to be silent when it is necessary so that you may complete your work of restoration through me. Lord, guide me to present the ideas you have given me to the right person in authority who can back them up and bring them into existence.