An Amazing Invitation

I think its safe to say that of all the characters in the bible, I resonate most with Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was a man after God’s own heart. And as the story turns out, God honored that pursuit and passion. Looking at the story of Nehemiah, it’s encouraging to see an incredible leader rise up to his calling and rebuild the walls of Israel… I think we forget that for Nehemiah, this was a dream he had, as a creative. He didn’t just lay bricks on a wall, he fulfilled the creative dream God placed in his heart to create and build.

I don’t know about you but I’m not a king.
I’m not a priest and I’m absolutely not a prophet.

Neither was Nehemiah. He was an ordinary man just like you and me (unless you’re a king and reading this, that would be awesome). What makes Nehemiah’s story so unique to me is that his current role (or job) was the very platform he needed for God to use his life in an incredible way. God used this ordinary man to tell a not-so-ordinary story. There’s fear, hope, leadership, dreams, creativity, art, pain, opposition, silence and success wrapped throughout his narrative.

It’s captivating to me because I am realizing that I don’t need to quit my day job to make an impact in the world. That my dreams, hopes and creative expressions may be what God is wanting me to give to Him in order that he may allow it to have life for others. That my very dreams may give a role for others to serve in the kingdom of God and that my very art has the opportunity to change the world.

Have you ever wondered why God gives you the desire to create? Where the inclination to make something out of nothing derives from? In all my research of Nehemiah, I haven’t been able to determine if he was actually a someone who knew how to build walls or lay brick. But from what I know bricklayer wasn’t his past. If his dream included a key skill that he didn’t have and he still chose to pursue that dream, God is able to get maximum glory out of the success of his story.

Think about it… if God chose to find someone who was known for their “brick-laying” ability, then wouldn’t it be easier for us think that Nehemiah’s success was on his own accord? When God asks me to do something I don’t have skills for, it’s not for my glory.

There’s no question that Nehemiah gained a wealth of skills out of this journey. I’m sure he was a master wall-builder at the end of the fifty-two days. When God calls you to something greater than yourself, you may not have the skills required on the front end, but you will gain them throughout the process. God is less concerned with your ability and more interested in your willingness to lay down your inability before the throne.

Welcome to An Amazing Invitation.