Preparing for God
September 13, 2007 by pistolpete
So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. “Remember me with favor, O my God.” (Nehemiah 13:30-31)
As Nehemiah prepares to rebuild the temple and renew worship among the people, he prepares well in advance. He doesn’t just rely on God doing the work for him.
I had a professor in seminary who talked about preparing a sermon manuscript well before you step into the pulpit Sunday morning, instead of “just letting the Spirit lead” (as some say). The professor said, “The Spirit can lead on Tuesday, just as well as Sunday. Maybe more so.
The missionary to China – J. Hudson Taylor – said much the same about God’s provisions:
“Depend on it. God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply. He is too wise a God to frustrate His purposes for lack of funds, and He can just as easily supply them ahead of time as afterwards, and He much prefers doing so.”
Pray. Plan. Work. And pray some more. God will provide in God’s own time, but God also expects us to do our part.
