See. Pray. Act. Leading Like Nehemiah, Part I – See
The world is a loud place to be right now.
Not only are we navigating through the daily challenges of a post-Covid world, we’re faced with tough questions about who we are, where we’ve been and what’s important to us. Politics is polarised. Racism is still a very real threat. Society has been (and continues to be) shaken.
But behind the noise I’m convinced there’s an alternative story. It’s more of a whisper. You have to lean in to hear it. It’s the story of God at work – always at work – and the ways in which he is using this time of great struggle to shake us out of our old ways and into something new. He is putting his finger on aspects of culture and church that he is calling us to see with fresh eyes.
When it comes to the church, so much of what we used to prioritise – the platforms, the gatherings, the numbers – have been stripped away. Our ability to draw together in strength as the body of Christ has been reduced to screens in our homes, as we compete with the greatest selection of on-demand entertainment the world has ever known.
In this moment there’s a terrifying clarity. What had we been investing in that will see us continue to build God’s kingdom through Covid-19 and beyond? Had we been inviting others into a sacrificial relationship where we can as a community be transformed by the anchoring love of God? Or had we been inviting people to yet another event, a Sunday experience that has no bearing on Monday?
These are hard questions and the answers aren’t easy either. But one thing I’m convinced about is that through it all God is calling us to see.
He is calling us to look at the church, culture, politics and the media so that we might ask the question, ‘What is God saying? What is he showing us?’
‘If you look at the history of God’s people throughout scripture, struggle and hardship is embedded in the playlist and always on repeat. You can shuffle it but you can’t escape it’
If you look at the history of God’s people throughout scripture, struggle and hardship is embedded in the playlist and always on repeat. You can shuffle it but you can’t escape it. Did God give us Covid-19? No. Did he bring about the pain and horror of racial injustice? No. Does he side with either the Democratic or Republican parties? No. But he is still speaking and using this moment to get our attention.
Over the next few months, and as we are all working in some way to rebuild ‘normal’, I want to explore the story of Nehemiah and unpack three distinct phases in his journey: See, Pray and Act.
The book of Nehemiah, nestled towards the end of the historical books of the Old Testament, is a fantastic story of leadership under great trial and pressure. It’s a story of obedience, bravery, prayer, teamwork and delegation. We see how Nehemiah manages to lead effectively under opposition and resistance, and how the tangible power of prayer brings about tangible change. My hope is that by journeying with this story, by the summer of 2021 we’ll have gained a fresh insight into what it looks like to lead as Nehemiah did: to see, to pray and to act.
See
The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.
— Nehemiah 1:1–4
The book of Nehemiah begins with a conversation. His eyes are opened: the city of Jerusalem and his people are in great trouble and distress. Nehemiah sees. Nehemiah weeps. The struggle is real and raw and it stops him in his tracks. I love the image of him sitting down and weeping. And he stays in that moment.
When we’re faced with moments of challenge, we can often be tempted to offer a quick answer to tidy up the mess and move on. We say ‘That’s a shame’ and then allow the next distraction to grab our attention. But rather than throw his hands up and turn away, Nehemiah shows us what it looks like to see.
Seeing like Nehemiah means being truthful about the situation before us and bringing it before the Lord. If we are called to see, pray and act, how often do we jump straight to prayer and action? They’re both deeply valuable, but it’s all to easy to skip over the importance of being able to see.
In Nehemiah 2, we see our hero on a secret investigation of the state of the city, where he looks for himself at the state of Jerusalem, working to understand the root of the problem so that he can respond well. But even before that active discovery, Nehemiah sees and sits in the presence of God and it’s in that place that he turns all he has seen into the kind of heartbreak prayer that motivates everything that follows.
‘I think God is offering us an invitation to see and hear another story. Not because everything else doesn’t exist or isn’t important, but because the loudest voice is not always the right one’
So what? What does this mean for me and you today as we go into a second phase of lockdown? As we watch the US presidential election disputed in angry tweets and read the news of terror attacks in Europe? I think God is offering us an invitation to see and hear another story. Not because everything else doesn’t exist or isn’t important, but because the loudest voice is not always the right one. Take time to step back and reflect.
WHAT DO I SEE IN ME?
Effective leadership starts with self-awareness. What is Jesus doing in your life at the moment? Start journaling (seriously). Reflect back on the period of lockdown from earlier in the year – what did God show you? What hard things surfaced that you had to deal with?
WHAT DO I SEE IN OTHERS?
What might God be doing in the people around me? How could he be using this time to grow your friendships in a different way, to connect your family or your housemates more strongly together when before busy lives and distraction took the lead?
WHAT DO I SEE IN MY CHURCH COMMUNITY?
Where might God be working through my church? It’s easy to be critical, but we’re all on this journey together – and there was no heads up about this moment in church leader school! Where are you seeing the Holy Spirit at work? Is it somewhere unexpected?
WHAT DO I SEE IN THE WORLD AROUND ME?
What are you seeing in the trends and agendas of the media – whether it’s news or entertainment? How does this sit with you as you walk in step with Jesus? What’s jarring? Which voices are bubbling up that might just whisper about who he is?
It’s time to stop and to see. Not with eyes of panic, looking to wish away the headlines, fix the mess or find comfort in a Netflix binge session. We must see with eyes that are fixed on Jesus – the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12). From that place – and that place alone – can we turn to look at the world around us and truly see.
To find out more about the story of Nehemiah, check out The Bible Project’s helpful overview:
And listen to these podcast episodes from Bridgetown Church to delve more deeply into today’s culture and what the Bible has to say: