Accomplishing a Great Task

Do you have any great tasks to accomplish in life? All of us have great tasks before us; whether it’s the great task of parenting or honoring a parent, building or maintaining a healthy marriage, making disciples or ministering to another, great faith is required to accomplish any great task in life. Great faith is required because the great tasks God calls us to in life are never easy; but with the help of our great and awesome God, we can accomplish any task before us!

In the first chapter of Nehemiah, we learned a lot about the kind of man Nehemiah was; he was caring and compassionate, loyal and prayerful, thoughtful and faithful. No doubt he cared deeply about the plight of his people in Jerusalem, the disgrace and fear they must have been experiencing because the protective wall around the city still lay in ruins. He was compelled to do something about it. But Nehemiah was not going to make any moves until he had spent ample time praying; and not just praying, but waiting.

Nehemiah modeled at least four important prayer principles for us in Nehemiah 1. We can employ these principles when we have a great task before us…

Call on our great and awesome God to help! (Nehemiah 1:5-6a)
Confess where you have failed God. (Nehemiah 1:6b-7)
Count on God’s promises. (Nehemiah 1:8-9)
Credit any success you will experience to God. (Nehemiah 1:11)

In Nehemiah 2, we get some excellent insight about: How to Accomplish the Great Task God Has Called You To. Accomplishing any task God calls you to requires faith! Nehemiah was faithful! If you have a great task before you, follow Nehemiah’s example…

1) Faithfully wait for God to move. Nehemiah faithfully waited for God to move. (Nehemiah 2:1-4)

Nehemiah had been waiting for God to move for months, then the opening he had been waiting and watching for came. After seeing how sad Nehemiah was, King Artaxerxes asked him what was wrong. When Nehemiah told him, Artaxerxes offered to help! Who saw that coming?! God was about to use this pagan king to accomplish His will.

Nehemiah may have been afraid and reluctant to approach Artaxerxes’ throne to ask for anything, but we can always approach God’s throne without fear or trepidation. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

2) Faithfully watch God provide! Nehemiah faithfully watched God provide! (Nehemiah 2:4-8)

Amazingly, Nehemiah received everything he needed to accomplish the work God had called him too! And Nehemiah knew exactly what to ask for when the time came too! He had done his homework. And God honored that. The Lord made sure that Artaxerxes provided Nehemiah with what he needed to be successful!

God is faithful. We see it over and over again in His Word. Look at the example of Moses when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity (Exodus 3). God promised Moses, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12). God’s gracious hand was on Nehemiah, just as it was on Moses and just as it was on the Apostles in the New Testament! And His gracious hand will be on you too when you faithfully pray, wait, and watch Him provide.

3) Faithfully trust God for protection. Nehemiah faithfully trusted God for protection. (Nehemiah 2:9-10)

We don’t have any details about Nehemiah’s trip from Susa to Jerusalem, but I read that trip would have taken at least two months! Nehemiah was faithful, but he wasn’t foolish; he accepted the armed caravan that the king provided. He had been appointed a governor and would need that level of protection, and the Lord made sure he received it.

I can tell you this with confidence; when you set out to complete a great task for Christ’s sake, you will encounter plenty of opposition. There is a very real enemy at work in this world who wants to see you fail and he will do all he can to make it so. But believe this, there is a very real God in heaven who goes before you, providing protection for you in all that you do for Christ’s sake. We see it over and over in scripture. Ask God for that protection and faithfully trust him to provide it. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Nehemiah made his way to Jerusalem and when he arrived, he took some important next steps towards accomplishing the great task God had called him too. Steps we must take too. For those steps and more, click here to listen to: Resolute - Part 2 - Accomplishing a Great Task.