"I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most." (Neh. 7:2)
Reading: Nehemiah Chapter 7.
Prayer Points:
Ask forgiveness where we have allowed personal ego and desire to damage our marriages, families, and others at work and church.
Ask the Lord to align your heart with His word in Philippians 2:3-4. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
Pray for the spiritual renewal of the Church in our country, so that, the moral compass of the nation might point to the Lord and He would give us favour in every sphere of life.
Pray for revival in our nation, that God would raise up intercessors and evangelists; servant leaders that will faithfully and self sacrificially take the gospel to every people group in this land and establish new faith communities.
Reflection on Nehemiah.
The building of any community takes organization in order to be successful. The building of the walls was fully complete and the doors were in the gates. But walls and gates are things. Necessary structures for the safety of the people, but things nonetheless. Once this work is completed, Nehemiah turns his attention from things to people, but not before he delegates the ongoing administration of the city to others.
He chooses Hanani, already an accomplished administrator who had a history with the people and able to discern the big picture. It was Hanani that originally gave the report to Nehemiah about the state of Jerusalem. Alongside him was Hananiah, already in charge of the city's defenses. He was chosen because "he feared the Lord more than most." Hananiah had the spiritual strength of character to lead with God's heart. These two were more than capable to take the administration of the growing city to the next stage.
This is an example of good leadership delegation. Responsibility is handed on to wise and capable people when the time is right. Irresponsible delegation is often given by leaders who are looking to dump things they don't want to do, on people that are not ready, so they can spend more time doing the things they like to do. Inevitably this will lead to a toxic culture. The ongoing health of any organization or community of people will always take precedent over the ego of the servant leader.
With the responsibility of governance safely in the hand of others, Nehemiah sets to the spiritual renewal of the people. Personal spiritual renewal is the compass of a person's life. The compass always points North so, you always know the direction you are heading. When the spiritual compass of a community is broken, the people are lost. A faith community is critical for the calibration of a person's personal spiritual compass and True North is the Father.
If the people of God are to be renewed to the heart of the Father, the ministry of the temple must be restored. Provision for the people to get right with God and worship that honours His name.