That Which Is Good Is The Enemy Of That Which Is Perfect

Concerning God's Plans and Good Ideas

I've been thinking about Nehemiah. God selected that particular man to receive the vision of rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem. The first thing God did was give Nehemiah the burden for the project. Scripture says in Nehemiah 1:1 "Now it happened in the month of..." Nehemiah says something "happened."

He then sets up the scene by telling of a conversation. He had asked about things in Jerusalem and they had told him what was going on. Verse 4 then says, "Now it came about when I heard these words..."

This is when "it happened." This is when the burden manifested on Nehemiah. The rest of the verse tells what happened. In chapter 2:2 we see that the effects of the burden actually changed Nehemiah's physical appearance so much so that the King noticed it. If you read his entire prayer that goes on from verse 5 - 11 it's hard to imagine that this was something that Nehemiah just felt like doing. This was something God caused to rise up in Nehemiah and come upon him. Many others had heard the same types of conversations, had the same information, maybe even the same prayer, desire or idea. But not to this depth. This was a "God" thing.

We know by reading the rest of the story of Nehemiah that he was certainly the man for the project. He ended up succeeding in such a way that he goes down in history as a magnificent builder and leader. He built the wall in 52 days that Ezra, the priest, had thought and prayed about for decades. He was obviously God's man, carrying God's vision and with God's blessing. And I believe it's safe to say that God, not Nehemiah was responsible for the King's blessing and provision for the project.

But what if, upon hearing the idea that Nehemiah had, the King had responded, "Great idea! Perfect timing! It's from God so it's got God's blessing on it! We can do this! We have the authority and the provision right here, we can start immediately! But one thing Nehemiah, I'd rather you didn't do this. See I've got this cousin that I've put in the "new plans and projects" department and I really need to let this project come under his authority. I'm sure you understand. But maybe we can find something for you to do, you know, under his supervision of course."

What if Nehemiah knew that wasn't God's plan and bowed out? Would the wall have still been built in 52 days? Would the wall have been built at all? Would God's blessing still have been on the project? If God's plan isn't done God's way, will God still bless it? Does the end justify the means and is that okay with Him? Does it matter who does the building and in what way, as long as the wall is built?

Interesting questions aren't they? And I know some people who would answer, "But it must have been the King's cousin that was meant to build the walls or it would have never been placed in his hands. It was his destiny." Was it? Or was it Nehemiah's and the King interfered?

We'll never know the end of that scenario because it didn't turn out that way. Nehemiah was given the authority to perform the calling he had been charged by God to do. And he was able to do it without much interference and it's a success story.

But this type of story occurs constantly today, and in the church. God gives someone a vision of what He wants them to do. They pray. They bring it before the "kings" for permission. It is received and accepted. Sometimes they are given the authority to do the job. And sometimes they get a "Thanks a lot. This is from God. We appreciate your suggestion. We'll do it." They appreciate the vision but not the visionary.

So will the plan succeed? Will a project, plan or idea that is good receive God's blessing if it is taken out of the hands of the one whom it had been given to and was holding it?

I think it's a pretty serious question and one we need to know the answer to if we want God's plan done God's way with God's blessing. If you think you can do it on your own without God's help, then there's not much to consider (except perhaps God's reaction?).

We might say simply, let Nehemiah do the Nehemiah job he was called to do. But "kings" have other things to think about. Like bureaucracy and control. He had the "cousin" to think about. And what was Nehemiah's experience in leadership anyway? He was a cupbearer. And things get really complicated if the idea, vision or plan contains the issue of finances. Things get hazy when money is involved. It's one thing to let someone work on a "good" project. It's quite another to release an "important" project. Especially one that may be an obvious answer to prayer.

In a situation like this, maybe it's easy to see Nehemiah as a messenger rather than the builder. It's easy to justify when you're under pressure.

Now, why should God care anyway? As long as the wall gets built, who cares who builds it? Even if Nehemiah was the perfect one for the job, there are other wall builders. So it doesn't get done in 52 days, so what? It will eventually get built. Who cares?

Probably God. He's funny about stuff like that. And protective too. And He has a habit of watching over His plans to perfect them. Instead of helping the "cousin" He might just stop him. Or He could withhold His blessing. Or He may deal with the King. There's all sorts of reasons why God may object to having His plans interfered with.

For instance, let's say the cousin does arrive in Jerusalem with all the stuff but doesn't have the anointing to motivate the people to do the work? Or maybe he's just not that great a builder? All sorts of things can go wrong when the wrong person tries to perform a vision or work or calling that was intended for another to perform. Bits and pieces of the wall get put up but it's not what or how it should have been. It may be a failure.

What happens then is that enemies are aware of the plans and they can make every provision to ensure success is never achieved.

And how will the people react when Nehemiah is finally sent in to clean up the mess the "cousin" made and try to accomplish the task? The people's reaction will not be one of enthusiasm. Having seen the project fail before they will not be supportive of Nehemiah's attempts to do the job. And Nehemiah is not a builder himself. He is an "administrative server." He serves the people by organizing them to get the job done. This is his great talent. He can not build that wall himself. He must have the support and energy and cooperation of the people to achieve the goal. And they must have him. There is only one chance for this. And God knows this. Maybe because of this, and more, the "cousin" would never make it to Jerusalem.

If Nehemiah is prevented from doing what He is called to do, what will God do? Will God care? Will He react? Will He allow it? Does it even matter to Him? I honestly don't know.

But just maybe; that which is good is the enemy of that which is perfect.

Article Source: http://christian-topics.info

Shari Weigerstorfer is a free-lance Christian writer, native to the West Coast of America. When not indulging in her passion for travel, she writes from her home in Switzerland. Other articles by Shari can be found on her site at Faithwriters.com.

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