Verses eleven to sixteen, of chapter two, describe the action that he took. Late at night, with a few trusted assistants, Nehemiah toured the heart-breaking ruins of Jerusalem’s walls, prayerfully surveying the need and mapping out a course of action. In verse 18, he an nounces this plan to the beleaguered vanguard in the city: “Then I told them of the hand of my God, which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.” Notice Nehemiah’s faith as he encounters the opposition of doubt in verse 20, “Then answered I them, The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build.” Many years ago, the Board of Direc tors of The Bible Institute established, after much prayer, the policy of not borrowing money to finance the opera tion of The Bible Institute. This is the God-given policy that is in force today. While other institutions borrow heavi ly to carry on the Lord’s work, or to expand their educational programs, BIOLA has seen the Lord miraculously provide the present campus and build ings entirely debt-free, a multi-mil lion dollar monument to the God who can and does provide! This is a policy that requires courageous action; and, under God, BIOLA is believing God for the necessary cash money to begin construction of the desperately needed dormitory and classroom space in May of this year. We believe that the Lord is going to work mightily on behalf of this vital and important project through the thousands of friends of Biola and through sources unseen, but known deep in the counsels of God, to supply this need, so that hundreds more of America’s choice youth can be thoroughly trained to take up the chal lenge of Christian leadership through out the world. Courageous action, yes, but action that is metered to the ex haustless resources of a God who is Himself deeply concerned about this need. The fourth parallel from our text is 12
PRAYER (cont.) that gripped Nehemiah’s heart and caused him to weep. The second parallel from our text is this . . . The building of die wall at Jerusalem was a project nurtured in much prayer. Notice the stirring words of the fourth verse of Nehemiah chap ter one: “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted and PRAYED before the God of heaven.” Verses five through eleven set forth one of the most pre cious prayers recorded anywhere in the Word of God. These verses reveal to us the soul-tearing prayer of a man, deeply exercised but thoroughly com mitted to his Lord. In chapter two and verse eight, the answer to Nehemiah’s specific request is recorded: “And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.” Immedi ately Nehemiah recognized that God, in answer to his prayer, had moved upon the heart of King Artaxerxes so that it was granted almost uncondi tionally. The history of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles is, in many respects, a case-history of innumerable answers to prayer. In 1908 two men, the Rev. T. C. Horton and Mr. Lyman Stewart, a dedicated business executive, through joint prayer were led of the Lord to establish this great Institution. Since that time, no move, no decision, has been knowingly made without seeking the mind of God in earnest and soul- searching prayer. This is particularly true in meeting the present challenge. The direction of God has been sought in many hours of deep and sincere prayer. The decision to present to God’s people, at this time, our present Cam pus Expansion Campaign was literally bom in prayer, every bit as real and penetrating as that of Nehemiah which we find recorded in our text. The third parallel from our text is this . . . The building of the wall at Jerusalem required courageous action. After arriving at Jerusalem, Nehemiah lost no time in getting on with the im portant mission that had led him there.
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