Let me continue amplifying my reflections on Winston Churchill’s famous graduation speech: “Never. Never. Never give up!” We amplified the first point in our last visit: Never try to go forward without a plan and goal. The second point was: Never adjust your plan without good cause.
As you plan and prepare for accomplishing God’s purpose for your life, always remember Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” This proverb doesn’t discount the need to plan and have goals. But when implementing your plan always be open for God to redirect your steps.
Proverbs 3:5-6 challenges us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Nehemiah had a good plan to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and he had the support of King Artaxerxes. After arriving in Jerusalem he surveyed the walls to be sure his plans were workable. Then he encouraged his people and called for their commitment to the task. He assigned to each a given responsibility.
At first the plan worked well. But their success agitated and threatened their enemies. As they tried to frustrate the work, Nehemiah had to adjust his plans. He had everyone armed as they worked and some had to stand guard. He had contingency plans as well, in case the enemy attacked unexpectedly.
He planned, trusted God to order their steps and challenged everyone to work the plan.
