ElevationBishop: Decision Making Process

I've been reading the book of Nehemiah for the past several weeks and something I hadn't noticed on the first few passes jumped out to me this morning. (if you don't get enough out of your time reading the Scriptures, it's probably because you're not camping out long enough...).

Nehemiah 2:6 reads: "so it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time."

Let me give you some context. Nehemiah is upset by the reports he hears about his hometown which is in ruins. He wants to go back to restore it but needs the approval of his current boss. When he pitches his plan to the boss he has already thought through the timeline. So when pressed, he has an answer. As a result he is sent with his boss's blessing and provision.

In Nehemiah 6:15 we read that the wall was finished in 52 days. This timeline is so amazing that when their enemies hear about it they KNOW that it was done with the help of their God.

Here's what jumped out to me. God often blesses us because we're blessable. Those of us that do the hard work of seeking God on the front end (Nehemiah 1:4-11) have the benefit of His divine insight into our problem (Nehemiah 2:6). The fallout of that process is that even our enemies are impressed (Nehemiah 6:15).

Here's the first draft of the process that I pulled out of the text. There's plenty more to be gleaned from this story but this was enough to create some momentum in the decisions I was making yesterday morning:

1) Seek God (Nehemiah 1:4-11)
2) Make your plans according to His insight (Nehemiah 2:6)
3) Gain the approval of those with the power to make a difference (Nehemiah 2:8)
4) Prepare for opposition (Nehemiah 2:7-10)
5) Survey the Problem (Nehemiah 2:11-15)
6) Describe the problem to those that will do the work (Nehemiah 2:16)
7) Cast the vision (Nehemiah 2:17-20)
8) Celebrate (Nehemiah 8)