MESSENGER TURNED RULER
Nehemiah 1:2-3 That Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem, also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
Most people know about Hanani’s famous brother, Nehemiah. He was the one who, against all odds, with the favor of God rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem. He caused the remnant to rally together and finally the honor was restored to the temple and that holy city. Because of what Nehemiah did because of the call of God on his life, the Word of the Lord was read again to the people of God. So, why would I want to talk about Nehemiah’s brother? Because, once again, I see how God gives people certain graces; and if we all do what we are supposed to do, we can serve God and obey what we are called to do. Hanani brought Nehemiah the report; and when he told him what was happening, Nehemiah sat down and wept and mourned.
I have seen throughout the Word, and by personal experience, that one way to find out what God put in you to do when you were in your mother’s womb, before you did anything right or wrong, is to find out what makes your cry, get mad, or stirs something in your soul. Eventually, that stirring, by the leading of God, will cause you to pray, so you can receive what to do about the situation from the Lord. That’s what Nehemiah did. He prayed, and fasted, and sought the Lord. That time of prayer sent Nehemiah into the presence of the king; and in that place, the Lord gave Nehemiah favor with the king. Nehemiah was able to receive letters for free passage amongst the governors on his way to Jerusalem, the best material to rebuild the wall, and the king even gave him a group of men for his security. Nehemiah was able to rally the people, who were a mess, and fix everything that was in disarray.
That was Nehemiah’s part. So, now that the job was finished, what’s next? Someone needed to govern the people. Wouldn’t it likely be the person who got it all done would lead? Nope. That wasn’t Nehemiah’s place, grace, or anointing. That was not his assignment. So, who should govern? The one God called to do it.
We see in Nehemiah 7:2, one of the two people that Nehemiah left in charge to govern was his brother, Hanani. It’s interesting that God sent the eventual leader to his brother to get the job done. It wasn’t Hanani’s job to build back the wall. He did his initial job of getting the message to his brother, who was the one equipped by God to rebuild the wall. Nehemiah obviously kept his word to the king and came back to continue his original job after the wall was built. It was Hanani who was appointed to lead, to govern, and to make sure it stayed the way it was the day it was handed over to him.
My point is, you are anointed and graced to do certain things, so find out what they are. Don’t try to do something you are not graced or anointed to do. Help those who have graces you don’t. If we all do what we are supposed to do, the “walls” will get rebuilt all around us and God will be pleased.