I spy with my little eye…

 I spy with my little eye…

We used to play the game, “I spy with my little eye” especially when we were traveling…each person taking turns to find something and then the other would guess wheat they were spying…

Another “ spy” event is one which I watch sporadically, is a restaurant spy show…a well known restauranteur is requested to spy out various restaurants with the goal of helping the owners upgrade in their service, menus,cleaning…in general just help them…he goes in at night looking at everything, has cameras placed to view via remote to see the everyday workings to find out the information he needs to help…

In Nehemiah 2 , Nehemiah does exactly the same thing…he spies out brokenness of Jerusalem by night to see how he is to help…

 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. 

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”

Neh.2.11-20

Just as in the tv series, the goal is to build up…not to tear down…

Nehemiah says “the God of heaven will make us prosper “…God sent him to do a work…and he began by evaluating the problem to  come  up with a solution and go forward…he knew before he got there that the gates needed replacing, so he gathered those supplies along the way, with the letters from the king…

 Commit your work to the Lord,and your plans will be established.

Prov.16.3

 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Luke.14.28

Nehemiah had built his life on the Rock…God his foundation…

Thank YOU…

Restore…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KITZDpuNf4I&list=RDKITZDpuNf4I&start_radio=1