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expect God to work

James 1:6-8 NIV
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I love the story of how Nehemiah heard the state of his home town and his relatives back home.  Actually, I am preparing to preach through this awesome book of the Bible in January talking about how god is a rebuilding of hope, dreams and lives.  Nehemiah was a giant.

He was a servant of the king, and Nehemiah has a healthy respect for the king.  So when the opportunity to share this need with the king came up, Nehemiah was a bit scared.  Yet God came through in a bit way.  God provided what Nehemiah asked for.  God provided through the king and through God's leading even more than Nehemiah expected.

Do we expect God to work like that?  Look at the verse above.  Do we believe God will work through us?  Below is part of Nehemiah 2, and I challenge you through today's devotion to see God and to expect Him to work in your situation as He did in this one.  If we expect God, we will see big things happen.

So the king asked me, "Why are you looking so sad? You don't look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled." Then I was terrified, 3 but I replied, "Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire." 4 The king asked, "Well, how can I help you?"  With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5 I replied, "If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried." 6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, "How long will you be gone? When will you return?" After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. 7 I also said to the king, "If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. 8 And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself." And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.9 When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king's letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me... But now I said to them, "You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!" 18 Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, "Yes, let's rebuild the wall!" So they began the good work.

Let's expect God to do incredible things and rebuild our lives and the lives of others.  Expect God to work!

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