The Trademark of God's Leaders - Nehemiah - Courageous and Bold

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church

planters and leaders.

In this podcast we continue our study about the character, or characteristics, of good and godly leaders.

We find much to imitate in the life of Nehemiah. We’ve already identified in our previous episode that

he was a man of prayer. Prayer preceded his actions, and that is an excellent model for us.

In chapter 2, following four months of prayer (that is the interval between the month of Kislev (1:1) and

the month of Nisan (2:1)) it was time for Nehemiah to approach King Artaxerxes. We see in this

encounter that Nehemiah was a man of courage.

We read the following in the second part of verse 2 and in verse 3, “I was very much afraid, but I said to

the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?””

I would suggest that courage is not simply the absence of fear. To intentionally, or otherwise, overlook

dangerous or ambiguous situations is imprudent and potentially dangerous. Instead, there are times

when godly leaders must acknowledge our fears, give them to the Lord, and entrust ourselves to God’s

care and protection. In spite of – or in the midst of – fear, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must move

forward.

Courageous leaders are also willing and able to make difficult decisions in the midst of uncertainty or

ambiguity. Reluctance or failure to make a decision when a decision is necessary can sometimes be as

detrimental as the wrong decision. I have often said that “failure to make a decision is actually a

decision by default … it’s a decision to do nothing.” This can result in frustration and discouragement for those who follow us.

I would suggest that courageous, godly leaders should demonstrate these behaviors:

 Prayerfully and humbly seek the Lord for His course of action

 Be willing to face our fears and move forward

 While seeking to avoid mistakes, we cannot be afraid to ever make a mistake. Sometimes there

is an element of uncertainty, and it is necessary to step forward with faith and boldness. If we

have missed the mark, the Lord will gently restore us to the right path.

Lastly, Nehemiah moved forward with boldness. We continue the story in 2:4b-5. “Then I prayed to the

God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Notice that Nehemiah’s first response was to pray. He then made a bold request of the king.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.