We have just celebrated Pentecost Sunday.
To set the stage for this timeline, let’s review: Jesus was crucified at Passover, he ascended 40 days after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit came 50 days after the resurrection, 10 days after the ascension. On their religious calendar, Jews from all over were assembling in Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks (celebrating the harvest). That is when Peter, filled with the Spirit, gave the sermon heard in many tongues, and 3,000 were added to the Kingdom. Those returned to their homes to spread the news – a wonderful example of God’s mathematics and building efficiency.
If you notice, there is a gap of 10 days, and that is when the believer community came together to have their first church business meeting. Unlike the crucifixion scene where they scattered, now they were together. What did they do? They prayed. They had a specific order to replace Judas. They prayed for guidance in their choice, and God answered their prayers. However, the rest of the prayer time was to seek the unknown. They were about to embark on the biggest day of independence ever – no longer exclusive to the Jews but equal access to God for all: for women, for Gentiles, for all nations!
Peter, the Rock, gave the sermon that changed the world. In an instant, prayer showed its transforming power. It was all generated by the Holy Spirit. The brick was laid for the building of the worldwide church of Christ. It was clearer than ever that God was and is with us all, the world.
When God wants to do a new thing, the unbelievable happens when we seek him in prayer – even through the process of rebuilding. Such was the case for Nehemiah.
We know the story of his strategic plan to build what was broken – the wall around Jerusalem, the symbol city of God’s promise and presence. Nehemiah was not a priest but a layman. In reading Nehemiah’s 13 chapters, you see how he continually prayed for each detail: the delegation of tasks, against the gripers/complainers, the profiteering of rich over the poor, opposition that put fear in the hearts of the workers. He was faithful to pray every day, and in 52 days he had completed the unfathomable feat.
Prayer allowed the builders to move forward and DO something about their vulnerability. God placed the desire in Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild, giving vision for the future.
Have you asked God to place the same desire in your heart? Are you confused where our nation is going? Where the church is going? The disrepair of systems, of beliefs, of relationships that need restoration cries out for a Nehemiah challenge.
I would throw out the challenge to you as we approach elections in this nation, as we evaluate the effectiveness of our worship, as we take back the once-beautiful relationships now in ruins and restore them to wholeness in Christ.
I dare you to a 52-day Nehemiah Challenge of praying for one hour a day and documenting your prayers in a journal. Take your daily schedule, intentionally block off your prayer appointment time and write down the things that the Lord has placed on your heart. Seek him, ask him and find him in each day’s encounter. Identify the walls that have been broken and ask the Lord to direct construction just as Nehemiah did. Engage others in the challenge. The promised Holy Spirit will make us in one accord to build the church of action, to do something and to act for God in this world.
By: Jude Gotrich
