New beginnings accompany new goals. Many individuals use the opportunity to set ambitious goals when they find themselves at the start of a new year, new career, new phase of life or in a new context, including a new country. In the Bible, Nehemiah had a big goal of rebuilding the ruined walls. This goal can be considered ambitious when one examines it from multiple perspectives including, but not limited, to the wall’s symbolic importance, the magnitude of the task, economic implications and time-sensitive nature of what he was seeking to accomplish.
The lessons learned from the Biblical account in the Book of Nehemiah provide insights for us to apply to our process of accomplishing goals related to our spiritual life, career, leadership, finances, relationships and other areas of our life.
Key Principles for Us in The Contemporary World
Are you being led to pursue some ambitious goals in this season of your life? As a Career Consultant, Change Management Expert and Certified Goal Success Coach, I am usually helping individuals with their professional goals and career aspirations. However, as a Certified Life Coach I know that these principles are relevant to accomplishing goals related to our spiritual life, career, leadership, finances, relationships and other areas of our life. So let us explore the five principles gleaned from Nehemiah's story.
Align goals
Make sure that your goals align with God’s agenda and godly values. Sometimes we desire things that do not match the will of God. In other words, we aspire for achievements that do not align with God’s plan for us, our families, community, country or humanity. Nehemiah’s goal had a godly purpose, along with social, spiritual and political impact. Similarly we should ensure that we use SMART goals that are also values-driven. Take time to evaluate each goal against your list of core values to determine if it matches what you consider meaningful and impactful. Let’s be clear how our goals are serving and “building up” others as well as match our values.
Pray
Nehemiah’s prayer for favour from God was pivotal to the approval of his request when he approached the king. Nehemiah asks God to grant him success and mercy in the presence of the king, Artaxerxes, as he plans to request permission to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. There were multiple references to other situations when prayer was critical to progress with Nehemiah’s goal. Some examples include after being taunted by Tobiah and Sanballat as well as other threats. Let's commit to purposeful prayer for favour, insights and victory.
Take collaborative action
Nehemiah had a vision and clear goal but he could not carry out the work by himself. He needed collaborators or co-labourers to complete the work. Nehemiah 3 provides a comprehensive list of various individuals, families, and groups who actively participated in rebuilding specific sections of the wall. The collaborative effort of the people under Nehemiah's leadership played a crucial role in the successful and timely completion of the wall's reconstruction. Likewise, partnerships are beneficial to goal attainment today. With direction from God, select an individual or a small group who can help you to advance the mission you are seeking to accomplish.
Remain resilient and focused
When we set out to achieve something great, we will likely encounter difficulties. Nehemiah faced various challenges and adversities. We will mention a few of them here: opposition from adversaries (Nehemiah 4:1-3), conspiracy and threats (Nehemiah 4:7-9), fatigue (Nehemiah 4:10) and deception (Nehemiah 6:1-4). Despite these challenges Nehemiah’s resilience and persistence were evident. He stayed the course through reliance on God and use of his various skills or competences.
It is important to be selective about who you share your goals with and to recognize that some persons are detractors or distractors. Not everyone has similar intentions as you. Also, there are some well-intentioned persons who will serve as constraints instead of helpful. Whenever you encounter such situations, prepare to use Nehemiah 6:3 "I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?. We must remain resilient and focused.
Worship and Thank God
The completion of the wall was not only a physical accomplishment but also a spiritual triumph. The people expressed their gratitude and joy by dedicating the wall (Nehemiah 12:27-30), celebrating with a grand festive procession (Nehemiah 12:31-42), playing music and songs (Nehemiah 12:27) as well as giving their offering to God (Nehemiah 12:43). Similarly, we must recognize and acknowledge that our success comes from God. We should dedicate the results and blessings to Him. Then, make the time to celebrate and give thanks to Him. It is important to celebrate the big and small wins; that's something I am learning to do do more often. If there are financial rewards we should give our financial gifts to him also.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can attain our ambitious goals using Biblical principles! The lessons we learned from Nehemiah’s experience rebuilding the wall serve as a guide today. Like Nehemiah, we should make sure that our goals are pleasing to God, seek His favour and victory through prayer, partner with like-minded persons as well as remain resilient and focused even when facing obstacles. Then when we are victorious, we should give God the praise and adoration for what He has done for us. Notice we said “when” not “if” because we know, like Nehemiah, that the Lord will give us success (Nehemiah 2:20). Take these lessons and go impact your family, organization, community and world.
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