By Pastor Greg
Centuries ago, the King of Bavaria
grew weary of court life. He had grown
so tired of all the politics and lies and bureaucracy that he was willing to even
join a monastery, no matter how strict or demanding it might be. So he approached the Prior at the local monastery
and said "I'm tired of being a king. I want to become a Monk". The head Monk gave the king all the strict
rules he would have to follow in order to join the order, yet the king still
agreed. But before the king was allowed
to join, the Prior insisted that the king agree to be obedient, not just to the
rules of the monastery but to any command or directive the Prior may give. Still the King agreed. He would follow whatever the Prior might
command. What’s interesting is that
history books record that Prior Richard told King Henry to "go back to
your throne and do your duty in the station God has assigned you". And King Henry II did just that. But this time, out of obedience to God, he
ruled as one of Europe's most godly kings; becoming a Saint in the Catholic
Church in 1146 BC.
Apparently King Henry had no idea that
it just might be God’s will for him to stay a king, especially during such
troubling times. And yet by being a king
submitted to God, Henry was able to impact countless lives in the name of God.
Discerning God's will for our lives
can be a tricky thing. Just like King
Henry, God might want us to stay right where we are and allow the Father to
work through us in that place. Other
times we might be facing a difficult situation or perhaps feel stuck in a job
that doesn't seem to make sense. We feel
trapped; outside of God’s will. But for
those who are willing to be obedient to God, that situation we are dealing with,
or the place we feel stuck might be God's way of preparing us for the day He
does call. I know this seems a bit
far-fetched, but it is the truth. What
we are dealing with today could be God’s way of preparing us for something
tomorrow. This is exactly what happened to a man named Nehemiah.
Nehemiah lived around 444 BC. He was a Jew living in Persia (Modern - day
southern Iran). He ended up in Persia
because of the Babylonian captivity of 597 BC.
And although the Jews were freed when the Persian Empire defeated
Babylon, not all Jews traveled back to Jerusalem. Some stayed behind for various reasons that
we will never know. Like Esther and
Mordeci, Nehemiah's family chose to stay in Persia. But even though Nehemiah would have been born
a Jew living in Persia, he still called Jerusalem home. Oh, he had a job and a place to live in
Persia. He was wealthy and had servants. He had a life. But it's apparent from his reaction to some
devastating news that in his heart he was still a Jew (read Nehemiah 1:1-11).
The problem facing the Jews back in
Jerusalem was that Gentiles and Samaritans living near the city were making things
difficult. They discouraged the Jewish
people. They turned the Persian Kings
against the Jews. “Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the
people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work
against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign
of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the
throne. Years later when Xerxes began
his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people
of Judah and Jerusalem. Even later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of
Persia, the enemies of Judah, led by Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, sent a
letter to Artaxerxes in the Aramaic language, and it was translated for the
king”. [1]
(Ezra 4:4-7). What Judah needed was someone who could speak to the king and
tell him the truth. They needed an
inside man; someone the king trusted and respected. And that man was Nehemiah.
As Cupbearer
to the king, Nehemiah would have been someone trustworthy; someone educated and
with a good reputation. As Cupbearer he would have been responsible
for tasting the wine before serving it to the king to be sure it was not
poisoned. So Nehemiah had frequent
access to the king. Perhaps he was even
aware of the letters written by the enemies of Judah (Ezra 4:7).
What stands out in all of this is that
Nehemiah didn’t simply shrug off the news he received about Jerusalem. He didn’t simply pray that God would step in
and help in some way. In Nehemiah’s
prayer I hear a man who began to realize that God had been preparing him all
along for this special task. Nehemiah
was in the palace, close to the king, was able to watch and learn for one
specific reason; God was preparing him to be the one who would step in and
intercede for the people. And Nehemiah
knew that God was calling him to a whole different type of service. He knew this because his heart began to
break. It wasn’t that someone should do
something. It was that Nehemiah needed
to do something. And he spent four
months making prayerful preparations.
I suspect some of you wonder about
your own life. Why has God asked you to
endure something? Perhaps you feel lost
or trapped in a meaningless situation or a pointless job. Perhaps you feel that what is happening in
your life right now is completely outside of God’s will. And yet I wonder if what you might be facing
today is God’s way of preparing you for His calling tomorrow. I’m not sure, but it’s possible Nehemiah felt
this way. In the grand scheme of heaven,
what difference was he making by testing the wine for the King of Persia? And yet God had placed him there for one
specific reason; that he may gain the kings trust and the kings blessing to
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
I suspect there are some of you who,
like Nehemiah, are struggling with getting involved. He is breaking your heart. He has shown you something that needs to be
done. He has called you to service,
only, something is holding you back. Nehemiah
heard the news, and his heart began to break.
He had to do something. He had to
get involved. But still he spent four
months praying before he approached the king.
Nehemiah knew that to move forward with this, he had to take a risk and
make a change in his life in order to be obedient to God’s calling. So let me encourage you that timing is just
as important as calling. Just make sure
that when God says “Go” you are ready to be obedient.
Like Nehemiah we all live in unique
situations that at times seem far removed from God’s will. What we do or what we are experiencing seems
insignificant in the Kingdom of God. But
it has been my observation that often what we experience today is preparation
for God’s call tomorrow. And it is the
obedient disciple who is ready to use that experience for the glory of
God. Will you will be obedient to His
calling when it comes?
[1] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living
Translation (3rd ed.) (Ezr 4:4–7). Carol Stream, IL
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