Nehemiah: Pray and act

I just finished reading through the book of Nehemiah.  What have I learned?  Pray and act.  This is the pattern of Nehemiah's leadership: first, he prays, asking for God's wisdom and leading.  Then, he acts.  He doesn't sit around waiting for God but steps forward in faith as God guides Him.  He doesn't pompously act on his own accord but each time asks for God to direct Him.  Pray and act.  Not one or the other, but both.  Pray and act.  Pray, surrendering your plans fully to God and asking for His direction and provision, then act on what He's given you.  Pray and act.

Encouragement from a Sinus Infection

For the past month, I've been struggling with a sinus infection. Stubborn as I am, I kept trying to ignore it, pushing it off as a cold that just kept holding on.  Becoming frustrated by not being able to breath out of my nose, I finally went in to see a doctor on Monday.

The appointment started out fairly ordinary: describing my symptoms, taking my blood pressure and weight, then waiting on the doctor.  After describing my ailments to her, God opened the door to a much deeper conversation.

What began with a simple question of her asking if I had to return to work after the appointment led to a conversation about Tucker and I's hopes to serve families and children in Africa long term, and her sharing about her family's own considerations about moving to Guatemala to share Christ's love and the skills He's equipped them with with those in need.  I left the office so encouraged, not only because I had a diagnosis and meds to quickly get me on the mend, but more so because of this connection with a perfect stranger through the bond we share in Christ.  What encouragement to know the brokenness of the world and also the hope the comes through Christ alone, and to hear of another passionate about sharing that hope with the world.

Encouragement, too, in Christ's faithfulness as He teaches me boldness.  Bold is not a word that I would use to describe myself.  Timid, shy, quiet, those words often feel like a better fit.  Yet Christ is teaching me to be bold, to be confident in who He has created me to be and to openly share that with those around me, to step out of my comfort zone and fear and step out in faith in where He's leading me, to say yes to Him the first time.  And in doing so, I get to see the blessing of surprising things, like encouragement through a sinus infection.  =)

F-words

Last week I had the privilege of catching up with a dear friend over a steaming cup of chai.  This friend is preparing to move permanently to Southeast Asia as a missionary, and as she prepares, she's been dealing with her own humanity, her fears and grieving and excitement and hope.  As she shared with me, I was so encouraged by her perspective on fear and faith.  She was really open with me as she spoke of her upcoming changes, of leaving family, friends, and a familiar culture.  Then something she said stood out to me:

"Sharon, when I start to become afraid, I know what my problem is: my problem is that I'm not trusting God but rather relying on myself, on my own strength and knowledge."

Wow!  So often when we as Christians are afraid, we get this backwards.  I don't know how many friends I've spoken  of who are contemplating a change in their lives but are afraid to step out in faith because they are fearful of the unknown.  We say we're afraid because God hasn't done xyz, or we're not sure that He will make this next step.  We blame God for a fear when, if we're honest, our own lack of faith is to blame.  We want to be in control; we want to know the what the next 10 years hold rather than trusting God to lead us in just the next step.  We let fear win over faith.

I'm so thankful for my friend's perspective, for giving me a clear view of the reality of fear and faith.  Faith: For all I trust Him.  We trust God because we know His character; we know His faithfulness, goodness, love, grace, justice, perfection, sovereignty, wisdom.  We know that we are His beloved children, and His plans for us are good.  We know He is greater than all of Creation, that none compare with Him.

Just like Peter, when we fear, it is not because our God has failed us or become too small; we fear because we take our eyes off of Him and focus on ourselves.  We fear when we fail to trust God and instead put our faith in ourselves.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11