“A place for everything and everything in its place”
Benjamin Franklin
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Organization after Chaos
I look around my office at the stacks of books, old bills, new bills, sticky notes, office supplies and cringe. I itch to organize it, but I have deadlines to meet. Besides, it’s really just a desire to procrastinate because I need to revise a piece that has me stuck. You see, there is a time to organize, and there is a time to take care of business. There is a time and a place for everything.
Once I meet my deadlines, then I will need to address the chaos that has ensued in my office. Nehemiah had already addressed the chaos of broken gates and fallen city walls. It was time to move forward, so he looked around to see what the next step would be for Jerusalem and its inhabitants.
Next Step: Appoint Leaders
2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do.
Nehemiah 7:2
First, Nehemiah looks around for the right men to take positions of leadership. He picked two men because they had integrity and feared God. Our church is planning to add a couple of deacons to fill a gap in leadership, and we were asked to suggest people for the position. Integrity and fear of God are definitely two things to look for in potential leaders.
Integrity and fear of God are also traits we should look for in ourselves. Are we people God can use? Are we people God can trust? We should strive to be someone known for integrity even if it is just in taking out the trash. When we do our best with the little assignments, God will be more likely to give us greater assignments in the future. We also need a fear of God; else the praise of men can lead to pride. We have to maintain a balance between humility and willingness to take on new roles for God.
Next Step: Take Inventory
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families.
Nehemiah 7:4-5a
Once the leadership had been designated Nehemiah moved on to the state of the city itself. He looked around and saw a lot of empty spaces, so he took a census. The pandemic had some of the same effects as a war. It is not easy to come back from chaos, but if we look around at our churches, we can see empty spaces where people have not returned. Maybe we need to take inventory of where we stand, both in our physical world and our spiritual world. What else needs repairing? What needs replacing? What needs restoring?
Time and Place
There is a time and a place for everything under the sun. There are times for sheltering in place, like when James Spann (meteorologist extraordinaire) tells you a tornado is headed straight for you. That is not the time to go outside and stare at the sky to see what you can see. However, when the storm is over, you need to go outside and survey for damage. Otherwise, you can end up with more damage to your property due to prolonged exposure to the elements.
There may be a time for being cautious, but if we are not careful, we allow cautious to become a “new normal” that is not normal at all. When we stay in protect mode for too long, it gets harder to step out in faith with each passing day. There will always be something dangerous or scary out there as long as we are in this world, but we can’t let it keep us from living our lives and serving our God.
There is a time for everything, but the timing belongs to God. Like a mama bird, sometimes He pushes us out of the nest before we think we are ready. We feel safe and comfortable in the nest, but God isn’t interested in our comfort; He is interested in our spiritual growth. There have been many times in my life when I wanted to stay where it felt safe and comfortable, but the results of stepping out in faith when God called were so much more than I could have ever dreamed. The first step is the hardest, but it gets easier as you go.
So, what is your next step? Will you follow Him “Sometimes By Step”?
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Well said author! Amen! Often, I’ve not understood the time, place, or season, but am learning to accept that I am where God wants me for a reason. That’s enough to trust Him.