Nehemiah, an exiled Israelite slave, rose to the position of a cupbearer, to the Persian King Artaxerxes, a distinguished position in the palace of the King. So how did this man of God, from a slave-tuned government servant land up building the wall of Jerusalem?
A TRUE LEADER CONNECTS THE PEOPLE TO HIS VISION and that is what he did, once he came to know that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates were destroyed by fire, through his brother Hanani and certain men of Judah. Let’s see some of the qualities of leadership through the journey of Nehemiah.
1. CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD:
Nehemiah 1:4 says, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” When he heard the news he did not go to any
human to talk about his problem or worries, instead, he put his confidence in God and leaned on his understanding through prayer and fasting.
2. DON’T POINT FINGERS:
Nehemiah 1:6-7 says, “Let your ears be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying
before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly towards you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws you gave your servant Moses.”
Leaders take ownership of the things they do and don’t blame others. The greatest examples were Adam and Eve, they were given dominion over the world, but when they sinned and disobeyed the word of God, they started blaming each other for the sin they committed.
3. PLANNING:
Nehemiah 2:1 says, “In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before.”
After he heard the news about the wall, he waited for three months planning for a solution. A leader does not talk about the problem but talks about the solution and if he does not have a solution, he keeps quiet.
4. NOT RELYING ON FEELING:
Nehemiah 2:2 says, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be
nothing but sadness of heart.” A leader never relies on his feelings, Nehemiah was feeling sad and maybe depressed, but he took hold of himself and went to his workplace not relying on his feeling. If Nehemiah would have given to his feeling he would have sunk deep in self-pity.
5. KEEP THINGS READY AND HAVE A VISION:
Nehemiah 2:7- I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
A leader should always be ready with the vision and the things he requires to fulfil the vision. When the King asked Nehemiah what was the matter, Nehemiah respected his boss i.e, the King, even though he had brought him as a slave. He found favour in the eyes of the King, verse 5 says, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the
king and if your servant has found favour in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
One minute of favour is equal to six years of struggle. And to fulfil your vision you need people. God enables people to have favour on you when you are obedient to His word.
6. INSPECT:
Nehemiah 2:13- “By night I went out through the Valley Gate towards the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.”
Nehemiah verified for himself. A leader is never over-confident, he inspects the situation to understand and have a better understanding of how he is going to fulfil his vision. You cannot Expect if you don’t Inspect.
7. A ‘WE’ PERSON:
Nehemiah 2: 17- Then I said to them, “You see the trouble We are in Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.
Nehemiah did not treat the problem as someone else’s, but he empathized with everybody and had a heart for working together, instead of giving orders to the people.
8. MOTIVATES:
Nehemiah Chapter 3- Talks about how the wall was built by Noble, Priest, and Goldsmith. Nehemiah motivated everybody and inspired them in his vision to rebuild the wall. A leader is a bridge, connecting people to the vision.
9. HAVE MOCKERS:
Nehemiah 4:7-9 says,”But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard
that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Every leader will have a problem and will face people who do not agree with them and want to make sure that the vision they are working on is never fulfilled, and as children of God, we need to pray and be prepared for whatever is thrown at us.
10. DO EVERYTHING FOR THE LORD:
As we come to the last words in the book, it says in Nehemiah 13:31- “Remember Me, O my God, for Good. Nehemiah knew that the people will be ungrateful, some may even forget him over the period, and therefore instead of seeking validation from any human, he asked the Almighty to remember him for the good things.
So, my fellow believers in Christ no matter where you are, in your offices, at your homes, communities, or churches, you are called to be a leader because, at the beginning of Genesis 1:26, it says that man was made to have dominion over everything on earth. Be a Servant Leader who serves others because Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his interests but also for the interests of others.” And lastly, be in a relationship with our Lord cause when you abide in him everything is possible.
Miss. Sherlyn Cabral
UBM Christa Sannidhi Church – Miraroad, Mumbai.
