PLAN

Serving God requires intentionality
Nehemiah 2:1-8, 17-18

In order to effectively construct something, anything, there must be some form of plan.  

As with any journey there must be at least four key components:

The destination–where are we going and how will we know when we are there?

The starting point–where are we, right now.  From where is our journey beginning?

The route–will we take the "high road" or the "low road"; the highway or the back roads?  Will we plan to take detours along the way? 

In short, what is the plan from getting from the starting point to the destination?

The waypoints– In aviation, in the old days, one did not make long distance journeys by flying DIRECTLY from point A to point B.  It was too easy to get lost over a long distance journey over territory without landmarks by which to determine progress.  It was common to use waypoints, a series of short trips that, when strung together, resulted in successfully achieving the desired destination.  Waypoints made the journey easier to manage, made each trip a shorter trip, and ensured that the overall destination was easier to reach.

God gave Nehemiah a once in a lifetime opportunity.  He had heard distressing news about the "Jewish colony" in Judah.  He spent many days mourning, praying, fasting, and seeking God's guidance.  

It is common to hear "let me pray about it" in response to a challenging task, assignment or request.  Often, but not always, it is used as a delaying tactic or an excuse to decline.  We must, however, plan as well as pray.  Nehemiah had prayed and planned.  About four months passed between his first hearing the news and his opportunity to present his plan.  During the interim, he thought about and detailed the necessary "waypoints" needed to reach his desired destination.  

Currently it is popular to hold a variety of people up at heroes.  A hero is a person who is admired or idealized (or in this era, idolized) for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. 

Courage means moving ahead despite the fear.  Nehemiah, like Esther in our previous studies, was presented a once-in-a-lifetime, life-or-death opportunity to make his case before the king.  He acted and presented his plan to arrive at his desired destination–bringing Jerusalem back to good repair.  

Nehemiah relied on God despite any fear he had.  He was prepared to act upon the opportunity that God presented to hime.  He kept praying, even while he was laying out his plan.  

Nehemiah had a vision of what needed to be done in Jerusalem and realized a prompting from God to give leadership to the project.  He had prayed and waited upon the Lord's timing.  He did not wait passively, however.  During the four months between his awareness of the need and his opportunity to start to meet that need he had been actively planning for the work to which God had called him.

Set goals.  Develop a plan for your spiritual growth and for the opportunities that God calls you to address.

Set a time.  Commit a dedicated time to pray.  Remember to listen as well, as pointed out in last week's lesson.

Set an appointment.  Don't just commit to "pray about it," set a time dedicated to developing a plan of action to address "it".  It may be that you are given the opportunity to implement your plan of action.  It may be that you are not given the opportunity to implement it, but without even making the effort to plan you will not be prepared to take appropriate action when the opportunity comes.  

And whether or not your plan is implemented look at the learning opportunity in which you had the opportunity to grow.

God has a plan for your spiritual development and service.  Be intentional in following his plan for you.