And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. (Nehemiah 2:13)

Growth Requires Planning

One of the most stunning achievements in Bible history is rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls in fifty-two days. The city had been in ruins for seventy years after Nebuchadnezzar burned the holy city to the ground. Nearly one hundred years had passed when the first remnants of God’s people returned to the promised land before the walls were restored. The inhabitants of the city made little attempt to construct the fortifications of the city before the arrival of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard of the ruined city, he implored the king to allow him to go to Jerusalem, a city he had never seen, to repair the walls and restore the gates.

In the service of the Persian king, Nehemiah was a cupbearer (scant qualifications for a leader to rebuild a city). Receiving the blessing of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem to a city laid waste and its gates burned with fire. He was a stranger to the inhabitants of the land. His qualifications did not announce his arrival. Receiving letters from the Persian king to the governors in the region, Nehemiah let them know King Artaxerxes officially sanctioned him. His arrival upset some of the leaders of the land that he had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. This opposition would become fierce from men jealous of Nehemiah.

Three days after he arrived, Nehemiah arose at night and, taking a few men, went out to inspect the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates. He believed it was possible to repair the walls with the blessing of God, who would prosper their work. Nehemiah knew that before work could be done, planning had to be organized to decide how to do the work. This was not going to be an easy task. The ruins had been where they were for 162 years. It would be a daunting task. Nehemiah and the men carefully planned and calculated how to engage the work and implemented their plan.

After fifty-two days, the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. The workers had overcome great obstacles in reestablishing the brick and mortar and the constant bickering of certain leaders who tried to stop the work and defeat Nehemiah’s purpose. God was glorified through the courage and faith of men like Nehemiah, Eliashib, Zaccur, Meremoth, Meshullam, and Zadok. A great list of courageous workers, men, women, and children, faced the task of building the walls and succeeded with great power. The glory of Jerusalem had returned.

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was a success because Nehemiah planned the work. When no plans are made to succeed, the work fails. Nehemiah understood the value of planning to succeed and put into place the work according to the needs of the day and carried out the plan to its completion. These principles of growth are found in church work and individual development. Many churches languish in apathy because they never plan for growth. It is easy to talk about and pray for growth, but until goals are established and plans are made, the church cannot and will not grow. Church leaders need to be men of vision. Without vision, there is no growth. Failing to plan for that vision will lead to the failure of the work.

Leaders like Nehemiah know the value of planning and will spend months, weeks, days, and hours developing a plan to “build the walls” of God’s church. By God’s grace, the church will grow. Nehemiah first inspected the walls and then made a plan. The church that will grow first examines itself in every aspect of the work to see where the walls have fallen and what gates need to be restored. After a careful inspection of the work of the church, then a plan can be made to build the walls and shore up the defenses. It will take more than fifty-two days, but a good start is a good plan.

Individual growth comes from planning. When a New Year begins, great resolutions are made that generally fail within a month. Stores that open in January as a fitness gym open as a donut shop in February. Human nature is fickle when it comes to commitment. If people want their faith to grow, they must inspect the walls and plan for growth. After finding ways to increase faith, the individual will put into place those things necessary to help them grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Growth requires and demands planning. If you are not growing in Christ, you are not planning to grow. Churches that are not growing are churches that are not planning to grow. It is hard work. Restoring the walls that have fallen will take a Herculean effort, but what a blessing it is that the church stands mighty as the city on the hill where the light of God shines forth. Jesus told his followers to be the light of the world. That takes planning.