We Are Given Certain Skills & Knowledge To Get Stuff Done!

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘So the wall <around Jerusalem> was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.’ (Nehemiah 6:15)

Getting Wilbur the Jeep towed to the shop may not seem like a catalyst for a blogpost, but finding what was under hood certainly is.  It would not start, and thinking the battery needed a jump, I popped up the hood and found, much to my chagrin, a mouse nest on top of the engine.  Cleaning the nest off the engine, I found several wires chewed to bits by the rodents.  After cleaning off the mess they left behind, and watching Wilbur leave on the bed of the tow truck, I got to thinking about the ‘craftsmouseship’ of the nest; the intricacy of the woven threads of wood and weeds to make it strong and warm, when the weather recently got cold.

The mice had pre-determined plans to make the nests and the skills to do so from God, their Creator.  It is a skill within their nature and knowledge beyond their birth.  The ‘plans’ and ‘bill of material’ to make the nest were given to them by God so they could make a durable, sturdy place to lay down, sleep, and stay toasty. 

The mini-beasts had a goal (they needed shelter), a plan was developed (build a nest under Wilbur’s hood, gather the material to build it), and the mouse or mice organized to build it.  If there were a pair of mice, there may have been changes and compromises but in the end a nest was built.  Chewing the wires was a side benefit for them, an added burden for me.

Now this may not be much of a verse, as motivational Bible verses go.  However, Nehemiah building the wall around Jerusalem is a great example of planning, then acting.  Nehemiah had all five ‘Principles of Management’ engaged (though he likely did not know it at the time); planning, organizing, staffing, controlling, and motivating.   

There was a goal set (rebuild the wall), a plan was developed (how to build the wall, where to start, what materials were needed), teams were assembled and organized (some built, some defended, some did support (cooking, cleaning)), the workers were kept in line as were the detractors of the project, and the workers were enticed by Nehemiah to keep working to achieve the goal.

Wall-building, like nest-building, is not an easy endeavor, and as we have seen with our ‘Southern border wall’ it can be delayed and stopped easily by those detractors who don’t want it for whatever reason (‘it won’t work’, ‘it’ll cost too much’, ‘the desert mouse can’t migrate to build nests in Jeeps’).  However, Nehemiah preserved and achieved his goal and as today’s verse states, the wall was completed in 52 days!

The one thing I left out is the most important part of the equation; Nehemiah shared his goal first with God, after hearing of the wall being burned and destroyed (Nehemiah 1:4-11). We must never forget to do God-math:  God + me, or you, or us = an invincible majority.  God gave Nehemiah the plans and the means to do the repairs as Nehemiah prayed for (Nehemiah 2:4-8), and was with Nehemiah and the Israelites who rebuilt the walls. 

If you have had an idea but it has never left ‘committee’, pray to the Lord to help you plan and execute an action to turn that idea into reality, especially when you match that idea to His will and purpose!  It’s good to plan, but remember to plan with God, and with His strength, start acting!