Nehemiah’s Leadership Playbook: Devotion

Devotion

So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. – Nehemiah 1:4-6

Devotion is another principle we can learn from Nehemiah’s brand of leadership. He was a leader not just in substance, but also in the spirit. He was a faith-driven authority figure who was given to prayer, fasting and other spiritual disciplines. His unpremeditated reaction after he was told about the dilapidations of Jerusalem was to lapse into a passionate session of prayer. He interceded for his compatriots and their ancestors seeking the forgiveness of God for their past and present sins which must have landed them into such troubles.

Note that Nehemiah was neither from the tribe of Levi not a priest, those were the people statutorily commissioned to minister to God on behalf of the people. But because he had such a great burden for his people and the affairs of his fatherland, he took it upon himself to fast and pray to God about them, pleading for forgiveness for sins he himself was probably not part of. In fact, he prayed 12 separate times in the entire 13 chapters of his account in the Bible.

This is another testament to the heart of a true leader. She does not have to be part of the problem to be concerned about fixing it. She also does not have to be directly affected by the problem to be moved to do something about it. She is a devout who engages God in her activities and is given to fervent prayer and fasting. These were some of the attributes that distinguished Nehemiah, they will work for you as well if you commit to them in fulfilling your leadership responsibilities.

To be continued…

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:

• Nehemiah’s Leadership Playbook: Burden
• What Do You Carry?
• It Took a Brain Aneurysm for Me to Surrender