As I think about what it means to press on, to strain forward, to be persistent in what God has put on my heart, I find that I’ve become easily discouraged at times. Inconveniences get in the way or I sense a tinge of discouragement or disapproval from someone and I quickly change directions and think that maybe God hasn’t really called me to the thing He so clearly put on my heart. So I step back and possibly even throw in the towel completely.
I believe God is working on my heart in this area. Teaching me what it means to keep moving forward with what He’s put on my heart even when I might feel uncertain or when outside influences try to sway my thoughts. His calling on my life does not change based on outside opinions or push back.
When God puts something on our hearts it can look different in how He does that. Maybe it’s an intense weight you feel for someone in need, maybe it’s an idea that He brings to mind that makes you excited and creates passion inside of you. It could also just be a continuous tugging or nagging feeling (Hello, Holy Spirit!) that keeps you coming back around to the same thought that you just need to do something.
I love reading the book of Nehemiah to see an incredible example of persistence and pressing on in what God put on his heart. Nehemiah did it so well despite dealing with incredible opposition, discouragement and death threats. He knew what He was supposed to be doing and he pressed on and here is how he did it well:
He sought after God
The book opens up with Nehemiah receiving news that the Jewish people in Judah were in trouble and disgraced, their city walls were broken down and the gates had been burned. This left the city and it’s people defenseless from enemy attacks and when Nehemiah heard this news, he wept. This weighed heavy on his heart and verse 4 says he mourned, fasted and prayed for several days. I can count on my hands the number of times I have fasted. I am not proud of that, but every time I read about fasting in the Bible I am so challenged because it is an act of denying ourselves in order to be reminded of who we rely on for every single need in our lives. Nehemiah felt this heavy burden and so he sought God with everything He had. He spent time seeking God because he knew this was not a problem he could face on his own, but he felt called to do something about it.
He didn’t let fear get in the way of his calling
At the time, he was a cupbearer for the king in Susa and as he was doing his job the king noticed that Nehemiah was sad. In those days it was dangerous to show sorrow in front of the king as he had the power to execute anyone who he wasn’t pleased with. So verse 2 says Nehemiah was afraid, but he told the king what was on his heart anyway. This is so encouraging! Nehemiah was afraid, yet he did not let that fear stop him from taking the first step. This goes to show that doing what God wants us to do doesn’t always bring complete and total peace. It may be scary and the risk could be great, but being obedient to God should be our ultimate priority!
He didn’t allow others opinions into what was between him and God
He and the king made arrangements and Nehemiah left Susa to head to Jerusalem to get to work. He was on his way and he hadn’t told anyone what the Lord had put on his heart. “I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 2:11) Whether or not this was intentional I don’t know, but in many ways this seems like wisdom. I can think of times God has put something on my heart and I’ve been talked out of it or completely discouraged in it. Someone else is not supposed to resonate with what God has put on my heart because it’s not their calling. So as we share what God puts on our hearts and what He has called us to, I think we need to be wise about who we share that with. We are not called to seek the approval of others, but of God. We are only accountable to Him and Him alone.
He was confident
Before Nehemiah had even tasted success he was confident that God would bring it! He was confident God would give them exactly what they needed to complete the task that He had put on Nehemiah’s heart. “The God of heaven will give us success” (2:20) Nehemiah didn’t forget God in the process! I think sometimes we have a calling from God and we jump into it knowing it’s completely from him just to quickly grab the reigns and try to do it all on our own. Nehemiah’s confidence was not in himself, but in God.
When he experienced opposition, he prayed
When God calls us into something, we cannot expect it to be easy. We know we have an enemy who is seeking to kill and destroy those who are on God’s side. He doesn’t want to see God’s plans succeed and so we must expect opposition. When Nehemiah experienced opposition, he prayed. He didn’t fold, he didn’t complain or pull back on his plans or ask God, “Why?”. He wasn’t the type of leader that riled everyone up. He simply prayed. When he heard the concern of the people he remained calm. He reminded them of who they were to trust in and encouraged them to continue on in their work.
So as we think about what God has called us into in this season, sometimes it can be daunting and the thought of pressing on might feel impossible. May we be reminded to seek God first, to not allow fear to hinder us and to not allow the opinions of others to be louder than the thing He put on our hearts. May we be reminded to be confident not in ourselves, but in God and when we experience opposition, to pray and ask for wisdom as we press on.
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