Strategy and Nehemiah

            There are many places throughout Scripture that talk about vision, planning, and seeking wisdom and counsel. All of these elements tie directly into strategic planning. Nehemiah provides a great example of someone who had an intended strategy and saw it through to a realized strategy.

            Nehemiah’s strategy started where all should start from, seeking guidance, grace, and favor from the Lord. As soon as he learned of the state of Jerusalem, this is what he did. Second, once the Lord granted direction and favor through King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah went and inspected the situation and got his bearings before developing a plan for rebuilding the wall. Once this plan was in place, it came with clear direction, goals, and methods for completing the main objective. There was also major resistance to Nehemiah’s strategy but he didn’t allow this to interfere with what he believed God was calling him to do. An emergent strategy also developed for Nehemiah. While his original focus was solely to restore the material side of Jerusalem, opportunities opened for Nehemiah to also help restore the people of Jerusalem and address injustices that existed. This led to his appointment as governor. From there, more and more emergent strategies continued to rise including a census of the Jewish people, a reading of the Law, Israel confessing their sins, and a complete reform and revitalization of Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Of course, Nehemiah also never lost sight of the original strategy and also completed the wall.

            A major part of strategy comes down to wisdom, understanding, and good counsel. One verse that comes to mind is Proverbs 11:14 where it says, “where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” I would define strategy as being the process by which goals and objectives are accomplished. Knowing what process to use though takes wisdom and understanding. Just like Nehemiah and many other biblical leaders, the people we surround ourselves with will have a major impact on our strategy and whether it is a wise and effective one. Experience certainly plays into this, people who are older and more seasoned in life will have insight that others won't. Wisdom though can sometimes come from insignificant places because it's God who gives wisdom, not accomplishments.