Talk, Talk, Talk

Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds. – Js. 2:26

Nehemiah had a great job. He worked for the king and got to eat like one. He had an easy job and didn’t particularly suffer from any want or persecution. But he got a burden for Jerusalem. He prayed and prayed and the burden only became greater. Finally, he did something about it. It was risky. It was foolhardy. It was downright foolish. But God answered amazingly and provided.

Nehemiah was able to go to Jerusalem and start building. The book of Nehemiah is filled with his prayers. But after his prayers, Nehemiah worked. He pushed, he bullied, he dictated, he led, he rewarded. He did whatever it took to get the job done. I like the verse in Nehemiah 4:9 that says that he prayed to God and posted guards. He relied on God to take care of the stuff he, as a mere mortal, could not foresee. He did whatever he could, not allowing his spirituality to become an excuse for laziness.

Never let your prayer life become an excuse for laziness. Prayer is supposed to be a goad to action, a call to arms, not a lullaby. Too many times I have found myself complacent in my prayer life. I listen to someone’s heartache and smugly tell them, “I’ll pray for you.” That’s great! But it’s not everything. James puts it this way: “What’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, ‘Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well.’ – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?” (Js. 2:14-16). What good indeed! I don’t know about you, but if I were hungry, I’d just as soon you fed me as prayed that I be fed.

Nehemiah was busy working on the walls that would defend Jerusalem. Some men (who didn’t like the building committee’s decisions) were trying to delay him. They came to talk, they said. “Let’s discuss the environmental impact of your construction site. Let’s discuss new and better ways of dealing with your logistical problems.” They wanted to keep talking as long as there was no actual building going on. We often find people like that in our lives. They want to talk about missions, about evangelism, and about world hunger. They want to talk about spirituality and the Bible. Talk, talk, talk! But where’s the action? Give them the same answer Nehemiah did. “I cannot come down for I am in the middle of a great work.” Don’t let your praying, or your conversation become a way of avoiding the work.