From Our Family Pastor, Dennis Johns: God-Size Goals

This week our student ministry begins a series on “GOALS.” Of course, what else would we be starting the new year with? Anyway, for the next few weeks we will be looking at the life of Nehemiah and his journey of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Realize this wasn’t just a simple New Year’s resolution that Nehemiah decided to put on a list of things to do to better his situation. In fact, it was an impossible task that he was desperate to do something about. Nehemiah was passionate about seeing Jerusalem restored after its destruction 140 years earlier. The Jewish people were returning to Jerusalem, but the walls were still in shambles; and without walls, God’s people would be vulnerable to another attack. There also was a spiritual problem. The city of Jerusalem was deeply connected with the Jewish people’s relationship with God. Rebuilding the walls would be a way for them to honor God and bring restoration. Nehemiah wanted to see the whole nation of Israel turn back to God, so he set a God-sized goal: find a way to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem so God’s people would be protected, and God would be honored.
Nehemiah’s goal was birthed through the identification of a problem that needed to be solved, and he felt that he could help. He didn’t just post on social media about his concern for the condition of Jerusalem; he sought God and began to take action. All through the process of establishing his plan, Nehemiah prayed and asked God for wisdom, guidance and help.
How does God want to use us this season? Our world today is filled with plenty of difficulties and challenges and situations that we’ve never had to face before. Perhaps we begin by asking God to open our eyes to the people and needs around us; and rather than waiting around for inspirational cues, we would (like Nehemiah) seek His direction for using us in helping solve those problems.
This week’s tag line for our study is “big difficulties can inspire God-sized goals.” Once again, I refer to a children’s song; “My God is so BIG, so STRONG and so MIGHTY, there’s nothing My God cannot do” (through you).