Vision 10
WELCOME to Leading Right. I am Abiodun Fijabi.
I do not know a better way to end our discussion on divine disappointment than to look into the story of a statesman and a leader. A lot of my listeners can identify with him. He held an important position in government that shielded him from the pains and agonies his people were experiencing. His people had been taken into captivity by a foreign army. The remnants that lived in his province were in great pain. At that position of importance he was safe, so was his family. His future was also secured. He could easily have forgotten where he was coming from and abandoned the hopes and aspirations of his people. No, not Nehemiah, a Jew, an exile and a cup bearer in the palace of King Artaxerxes.
Nehemiah kept a close touch with his people. He received reports regularly of the happenings among his people. One of such reports came while Nehemiah was going about his duty. The report brought a divine dissatisfaction. In his own words, he said, “When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”
This historic divine dissatisfaction was behind the vision of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and the return of the glory and the prestige of a people. Nehemiah was so discontent his boss, the King, noticed it. This opened some doors of favor that gave his vision a head start.
I think the time has come for us to seek for information about our world and to stop to ponder at the issues as they affect our lives, communities and nation. It is also time to recover our tears. I think we have become so numb by virtue of the fact that we have become so accustomed to the prevalence of evil and low standards in our nation.
I think we need to pray more, not about the problem but about what we should do to bring the much-desired change.
Because divine dissatisfaction should not lead to idea paralysis. Calling pity parties on our personal and national challenges may look emotionally gratifying, but it is destructive to our vision. Divine dissatisfaction leads to action. Nehemiah did not only ponder, weep and prayer, he acted.
What issues make you ponder, cry and pray? The time has come to start to do something about it today. Stop to make that call. Write that letter. Record that song. Work out the modality for starting that NGO. Give that fat gift to the poor. Take that important but costly trip with your family. Make that move today. Turn your divine dissatisfaction to an action plan that will uplift your life and set your community on the path of a social reformation. Nehemiah did it, you too can.
I do not know a better way to end our discussion on divine disappointment than to look into the story of a statesman and a leader. A lot of my listeners can identify with him. He held an important position in government that shielded him from the pains and agonies his people were experiencing. His people had been taken into captivity by a foreign army. The remnants that lived in his province were in great pain. At that position of importance he was safe, so was his family. His future was also secured. He could easily have forgotten where he was coming from and abandoned the hopes and aspirations of his people. No, not Nehemiah, a Jew, an exile and a cup bearer in the palace of King Artaxerxes.
Nehemiah kept a close touch with his people. He received reports regularly of the happenings among his people. One of such reports came while Nehemiah was going about his duty. The report brought a divine dissatisfaction. In his own words, he said, “When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”
This historic divine dissatisfaction was behind the vision of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and the return of the glory and the prestige of a people. Nehemiah was so discontent his boss, the King, noticed it. This opened some doors of favor that gave his vision a head start.
I think the time has come for us to seek for information about our world and to stop to ponder at the issues as they affect our lives, communities and nation. It is also time to recover our tears. I think we have become so numb by virtue of the fact that we have become so accustomed to the prevalence of evil and low standards in our nation.
I think we need to pray more, not about the problem but about what we should do to bring the much-desired change.
Because divine dissatisfaction should not lead to idea paralysis. Calling pity parties on our personal and national challenges may look emotionally gratifying, but it is destructive to our vision. Divine dissatisfaction leads to action. Nehemiah did not only ponder, weep and prayer, he acted.
What issues make you ponder, cry and pray? The time has come to start to do something about it today. Stop to make that call. Write that letter. Record that song. Work out the modality for starting that NGO. Give that fat gift to the poor. Take that important but costly trip with your family. Make that move today. Turn your divine dissatisfaction to an action plan that will uplift your life and set your community on the path of a social reformation. Nehemiah did it, you too can.
posted by Abiodun Fijabi at 6:23 PM
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