Discernment

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 6:10-19 (day four)

Nehemiah dealt with mockery and oppression from powerful people, he dealt with internal strife among the people of God, and now he’s dealing with direct threats to his life, blackmail, and false prophets. Anyone in his shoes would have experienced fear and frustration, and would have considered quitting. Most would have quit. But Nehemiah carried on, completing the wall in a miraculously short time.

Nehemiah was able to carry on despite all this opposition because he knew God’s voice. John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” He knew God’s voice, and didn’t hear it in the voice of his oppressors or their false prophets. He gave ear only to what the Lord had to say. Everything else he heard he submitted to God, who gave him discernment in how to respond.

In order to fulfill the calling on his life, he needed real, spiritual discernment. That discernment was gained through the countless hours he spent in prayer before the task of building the wall ever began. Discernment is built in the quiet place, where we spend time getting to know the voice of our Shepherd. God lovingly invites you into that quiet place each day – accept that invitation.