“And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” Nehemiah 2:6
Lives hinge on “I made up my mind.” The mind is a powerful force and when we make a firm decision in our minds, the rest of our being will follow like a little puppy being led on a string. Getting to this decision though can sometimes be tricky. Getting to the “making up of your mind” can be lengthy depending on the strength and stubbornness of your individual character. But have you noticed that when you get there, that once your mind is made up, that things seem to sail along much smoother? It’s almost like a switch going off that moves your entirety from a no to a yes. Maybe it’s quitting smoking or quitting another addictive behavior like alcohol or pornography. All three are tremendously addictive and destructive, but when you make up your mind you can snap the habit like a twig. I’ve seen people wrestle with quitting smoking for 20 years and I’ve also seen people quit in an instant. The difference? They made up their mind. But have you ever thought about this process as it involves Almighty God? You see, God controls the heart which then in turn questions the mind. So, what happens when God moves your heart and then asks you to make up your mind? Chapter 2 of Nehemiah opens with him standing in front of the king’s throne. God has stirred up Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and no matter what he does, he can’t shake God’s call. God changed his heart with a call and Nehemiah has made up his mind to do what God has asked him to do. As we see him make up his mind to embrace God’s call, we see him also embrace the foundation of any call from God…obedience. And to complete the call of God means being sent, it means you going to where God is working. It means you finding out where God is working and meeting Him there. It might be going across your city, state or country. It might be going across the world; it might be going across your street to tell your neighbor about Jesus. It is no accident that one of the very last verbs Jesus speaks before ascending into Heaven is go. And you can’t go without being sent. God has a job for you today. Maybe His Spirit has already been whispering it into your ear or maybe His whisper is soon to come, but for all those that love and walk in obedience to Jesus, he will use them in mighty ways. But as you receive that whisper, will you be sent? Have you made up your mind that no matter His request you will go? Will your answer be send me? Allow Jesus to command your heart today and then simply give Him your yes. And then as He calls you into service, whatever it may be, your heart will have already made up your mind. And folks, when your answer to God is “send me,” get ready to see Him do amazing things through your life.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I send me!” Isaiah 6:8
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