Sometimes It Pays To Wait (Nehemiah 2:11)
So what did Nehemiah do
When he arrived – and wouldn’t you,
If you were in his boots today?
He chose to wait for three more days.Well, maybe he was saddle-sore –
Six hundred miles or maybe more
As civil servant – oooo – that smarts –
“Hey guys, let’s wait before we start”.Or, like a dog when you are new –
Just let the puppy come to you;
He’ll sniff around, and size you up
To see if you are kind or rough.Perhaps he had to check things out –
To see the wall which ran about
The edge of town – the hidden parts –
Which called for their stone-mason arts.Perhaps a time to visit kin –
To hear himself how they had been;
Were they depressed when their repairs
Were smashed and burned? How deep their cares?Or maybe he tuned up his speech
So he could find a way to reach
The hopeful types who’d given up
When they’d been stopped, and things got tough.Was he indeed cup-bearing type,
Who liked to serve, to do things right –
Who yearned to start things right away;
Then had to wait three endless days?At any rate third evening came;
He checked the wall – to people came
When sun came up – “Let’s fix the wall
Rebuild the gates, protect us all.“I’ve got permission from the King
He gave me cash – now my heart sings –
I checked the wall – an Omer long
(Of working time) – come join my song.”He’d made his plan, then worked his plan;
They all pitched in, as people can
When they sense work won’t be undone –
Gave thanks that Nehemiah’d come.So build the team before the wall;
Assess the work to make it tall;
Don’t let folks shoot your hope – instead,
If time’s not right, just stay in bed.An Omer – fifty days of time
To Pentecost, each brought to mind;
When seeds go in, Passover days –
First-fruits come forth – and God is praised.It took them fifty-two it seems
To fix the wall, erect the beams;
To form a structure for each gate;
They all helped out – it paid to wait.navigation