And the rulers knew not whither I went, nor what I did, neither had I as yet told it to the Jews , nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. Nehemiah 2:16
Nehemiah was not exactly on a secret mission, but he certainly did not broadcast what he was up to as he made his inspection of the gates and the walls of Jerusalem. He needed to get accurate information before he could proceed with his plans to have the gates and walls rebuilt. And he probably had his suspicions that the enemies of the Jewish occupants of the city would be opposed to his plans. So, to prevent stirring up any needless animosity or any useless curiosity, he went about his business quietly and after dark. He would approach the responsible people with his plan only after he had all the information he needed. He showed great wisdom in keeping his intended service for God hidden until it needed to be unveiled. We would be wise to do the same.
Whenever the world has a project to launch, the world makes sure that everybody knows about it. If the rebuilding of gates and walls of a city were a project that was to be launched today, news releases would have been sent out to all the media outlets, and probably a news conference would have been called. Government leaders and members of legislatures would be canvassed for support, both financial and moral. Committees would be set up to make sure the project was well received in the community. And most importantly, the person who had devised the plan for the project would be given a prominent public place from which to receive comments, feedback, and compliments on the project. Nehemiah’s clandestine approach to assessing the rebuilding project was just the opposite. That is because Nehemiah was depending on the Lord to provide his support, and because he knew that opposition would spring up as soon as he made his plans public. He also knew that his own pride had no place in a project that was for the glory of God and for the benefit of the Lord’s people.
Like Nehemiah, we should also be careful to avoid the limelight when we are preparing to serve the Lord in some capacity. Such preparations must always begin with prayer, to seek the will of God before launching out into the effort. Preparations must also involve careful assessing of the situation in private, or at the very least in the confidence of a few trusted supporters. The devil will make sure there is opposition and discouragement and pitfalls, so we should seek to make our plans before he gets his negative campaign ramped up.
The success of Nehemiah’s rebuilding project depended on careful planning and wise considerations. It also depended on not sharing the details of the project until he was ready to proceed. You and I have things that our Lord desires for us to do. Let us follow the wise example of Nehemiah, bury our pride, and keep our plans between us and the Lord until others need to know. -Jim MacIntosh