Throughout Nehemiah’s journey leading his people in this effort, he came up against obstacles. Often, it was a few select individuals who were determined to prevent his success. They tried several different strategies in an attempt to not just slow down, but stop the building altogether. But God was behind the project, and because the people kept working and depending on Him for help, the wall was completed in a pretty amazing amount of time. 

One reason the people worked persistently was because of Nehemiah’s effective leadership. He was a true servant leader filled with integrity, wisdom and compassion for the people he was leading. His story, told in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, provides countless leadership principles that are still applicable today, so many years later. 

In the midst of his masterclass on leadership we often see Nehemiah pausing and pondering what was going on. Rather than rushing into decisions, he made sure to stop, take stock of the situation, and carefully evaluate the next best step. 

Here are three examples: 

When Nehemiah first found out the exiles who had already returned to Jerusalem still hadn’t finished the wall, he didn’t just start running off at the mouth talking about what he wanted to do. No, he paused, reflected and talked to God first and foremost.

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. -Nehemiah 1:4

Then, once he got to Jerusalem after attaining the king’s permission, he took a few days to look things over himself before jumping into action and announcing his plan to the people. 

I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. -Nehemiah 2:11-16

When the project was well underway, a massive problem came up at one point when the people were running out of food. They had started mortgaging their homes, property and even children to get enough money to feed themselves and their families as they tried to continue working on the building project. Then, to top it off, the people lending money were using incredibly high and unfair interest rates. Here’s what Nehemiah did: 

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. -Nehemiah 5:6-7

He pondered. Stopped to think! He did not rush into anything. (Then, he went on to confront the problem directly—with care and efficiency. Read it for yourself to see what he did!)

So consider this your friendly reminder to just pause and ponder sometimes. Rather than jumping in to save the day or make forward progress, ask God to gift you with the self control and presence of mind to pause. …and ponder what He might have you say and do. I wonder what might go differently if this were your regular practice?