We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Do you know that God honours order and organization? Can you imagine what had previously transpired in Nehemiah’s mind in order for him to provide an immediate, on-the-spot answer? Nehemiah had a plan. You see, he had been doing more than praying for four months. He had been planning (Nehemiah 2:7–8). That in itself was an exercise in faith.

He was so sure God would let him go that he even drew up an agenda in case the king asked him how much leave of absence he would need! Going out by faith doesn’t mean you’re going out in a disorderly or haphazard manner. You think through a project and count the cost financially. I am greatly concerned that so many people who undertake some project in the Lord’s work enter without careful planning.

Here is a principle that I have seen at work in my own ministry: Wise planning on my part gives the Lord more opportunity to accomplish His ends, never less. And if truth be told, whenever the best plan has been missed, it’s usually because I failed to put prayerful preparation behind my actions.

When you walk by faith and seek to lead, you will encounter the hostility of people who walk by sight (2:10). They are rebuked by the life of faith. They are especially rebuked because they don’t have your vision. Experiencing criticism and opposition doesn’t necessarily mean you are outside God’s will. Rather, it may reinforce the fact that you are in the very centre of His plan.

Nehemiah was preparing for a tough job, but he had his head on straight. His preparation reveals what I consider to be four timeless principles for getting started God’s way.

1. Changing hearts is God’s specialty. Do not—I repeat—do not try to change people to fit your specifications.
2. Praying and waiting go hand in hand. You have never really prayed unless you’ve learned to wait.
3. Faith is not a synonym for disorder or a substitute for careful planning. People of faith need orderly minds.
4. Opposition is to be expected when God’s will is carried out. When a person knows he’s following God’s will, it is unusual if at least one person doesn’t oppose him.

Taken from Hand Me Another Brick by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2006 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com