You Are Not as Stuck as You Feel

Comeback | Monday Reflection | Week 2

"If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it." — Nehemiah 2:5

Sunday you heard about the moment Nehemiah had to open his mouth and ask. He had been carrying the burden for months. He had prayed. He had planned. And then the king looked at him and said why does your face look sad.

And everything came down to what Nehemiah did in that moment.

He asked.

Most of us have something we need to ask for and have not asked for yet. A conversation we need to start. A door we need to knock on. Help we need to admit we cannot get along without. We are waiting for the perfect moment, the right words, the guarantee that the answer will be yes before we risk the vulnerability of asking.

There is no perfect moment. There never is. Nehemiah was standing in front of the most powerful man in the world with no guarantee and no script and a prayer he sent up in about three seconds between the question and the answer.

You know what you need to do. You have known for a while. The plan is not the problem. The ask is the problem.

This week, make the ask. Send the message. Make the call. Walk through the door you have been standing outside of. You do not need certainty. You need the same thing Nehemiah had: a God who goes before you into rooms you cannot control.

The opposition will show up when you start moving. That is actually a sign you are going the right direction. Sanballat showed up the same day Nehemiah got permission. The resistance is not a reason to stop. It is confirmation that what you are building matters.

Ask. Move. Trust the One who opened the door.