Significantly God’s
(Pastor Clement Ong)
READ:
Nehemiah 2:11-20 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
The theme for this week is one of the 5 faith environments of Intentional Discipleship — ‘Significant Circumstances’. We define this discipleship environment as our response to defining moments of immense awe, great joy or deep pain, and how our response to these circumstances can move us closer into God’s presence, purpose and power to transform us into His likeness in Jesus Christ. Yes, even in trials that are unfavourable and would cost us great pain, God can work mightily through each of them to reveal His glory and great love for us.
And a trial was what happened to Nehemiah, as he learnt of his people’s exile situation and the ruined walls of Jerusalem. Far away with the Persian Empire, it seems impossible for Nehemiah to help his people, let alone contribute anything to their circumstances. How helpless he might have felt as he broke down and wept, knowing how broken his people was and how important it is as a nation to have the walls around them, especially when they were situated around enemies. With little resources of his own and exiled in a foreign land like the others, I believe we would understand the helplessness Nehemiah felt in our own trials.
But Nehemiah didn’t let the circumstances be what they were. He allowed God to define what the circumstances could be if they were in God’s hands. He sought the Lord in prayer (Neh 1) and trusted God to work through Him. And through prayer, he was moved to surrender the moment to God, and to appeal to the Persian King to let him return and rebuild his homeland. And he did so even if it meant criticism, rejection, or worse, the ill-favour of the king he was serving as a cupbearer to. It would mean certain death!
But because the gracious hand of God was on him, the king granted his requests. (Neh 2:8)
APPLY
The discipleship of significant circumstances is to allow God to move us closer to His presence, purpose and power. To allow God to define and move us to surrender to Him every circumstance to be used for His glory. We are already significant as God’s creation because we are made in His image. Nothing can take away nor separate us from the truth of God’s love for us as we seek to live our lives for the sake of the gospel.
DO AND PRAY
So, it is my prayer that I may consider it pure joy whenever I face trials of many kinds, because I know that the testing of my faith produces perseverance that is pleasing to God, so that I might receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:2-3, 12)
And with joy, I would capture every circumstance, be it mountain high or valley low, and let it be significantly God’s. Amen.
