Finishing What God Started
Nehemiah 6:15-16; Zechariah 4:6-7
Over the years, I’ve noticed book after book being published about leadership based on the life and times, and the wisdom and skill of Nehemiah. In the 80s I remember reading Chuck Swindoll’s Hand Me Another Brick. And now Eric Geiger has a new book, released in August 2026, based on the life of Nehemiah, The Rooted Leader.
The implicit promise to leaders is that if we apply the principles promoted in these books, we will lead and grow successful lives, families, and ministries. Often Nehemiah, implicitly (and sometimes explicitly), becomes the star of the rebuilding story.
While it is wise to learn from the leadership example of Nehemiah, the goal was never that Nehemiah be elevated or exalted. Instead, the story is about God. Nehemiah is a tool in God’s hand.
We can see the “why” of this narrative at the completion of the wall and in the conclusion of the surrounding people.
Nehemiah 6:15–16 says, “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”
Simply put: The wall was rebuilt for the glory of God. All along, God wanted His name to be known to His enemies so that they might become His friends. God wanted His fame to spread to the nations so that they might become part of the kingdom of light. God wanted Nehemiah and the people to do something so seemingly humanly impossible in 52 days that everyone would have to admit that God had shown up and shown off through His people.
The story is not really about what Nehemiah did. The story is really about what God did.
Yes, Nehemiah made himself available. Yes, Nehemiah was obedient. Yes, Nehemiah was wise and discerning in how he discovered, developed, and deployed the helping hands of the people.
But the project would have failed miserably without the guidance and blessing of God.
What is it that you are seeking to rebuild? You dare not make your rebuilding be about you and your efforts, you and your skill, or you and your motivational ability. If you want God to be invested in your project, it must be initiated by and empowered by Him. And that means God-dependence for you. And me.
I can remember praying for CVC many times over the last 40 years that God would “do far more abundantly than we could ask or think” and do it all in such a way that outside people would have to conclude, “There is a God in heaven, and He has visited His people and done mighty things through them at CVC.”
Self-guidance, self-dependence, and self-effort are praised in our culture. It’s the American way. But it’s not God’s way. Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”
I have developed a personal manifesto with 12 topics that I review on a regular basis. One of them is “Humility Before Honor.” It’s to remind me that it’s not about me! I renew my mind by reading:
My calling is not to build my platform, but to exalt Jesus. I pray, “Thy Kingdom come!” not “my kingdom come.” I cry out, “Soli Deo Gloria. Not to me, Lord, not to me but to Your name bring glory!” I point people away from myself and toward the Lord Jesus. I must decrease and Jesus must increase. So, I do not seek great things for myself. Instead, I embrace obscurity and lay down all my trophies. I take the least seat, not the best one, treating others as more important than myself. I celebrate the success of others. I humble myself under the mighty hand of God and trust Him to exalt me in His ways and in His time.
I’m not there yet. But this is who I want to be. And I pray that all of those truths will be lived out by me, by our church, and by you.
Whatever you’re wanting to rebuild or build, may it be done in a way that spreads God’s fame so that His enemies become His friends. And may the nations see that there’s a God in heaven who empowers people to do great things for Him because they do their work through Him.
Someday when someone tells the story about your life and leadership, may the hand of God be so clearly evident that people have to conclude, “That would never have happened unless there was a God in heaven who acted powerfully on behalf of His servant.”
Soli Deo Gloria.
Questions to consider: What is it that you’re seeking to build or rebuild? How are you seeking to do that in a way that demonstrates your dependence on God? And how are you being intentional to make sure He gets all the glory so that people are drawn to Him?
A prompt for prayer: Ask God to help you attempt great things for Him. Ask God to help you expect great things from Him. Ask God to help you live your life in such a way that He is the unmistakable star of your story.
