“11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.” NIV

It’s not surprising that there was a three day gap between Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem and this ‘reconnaissance’ mission. It may be that he needed some time to rest after a long journey. It’s estimated that it would have taken at least two months to travel from Susa to Jerusalem.

These verses make explicit what, I think, has been implicit for some time. God had put something into Nehemiah’s ‘’heart’’ – probably during that long period of prayer. It wasn’t simply that he had a bright idea.He had a burden from God.

But here’s an important principle to observe. You may carry something from God in the ‘womb’ of your spirit for some time before it shows. It may not be wise to blurt out the news to all and sundry early on. There are some things best kept to yourself in the initial stages, and then there will be a judgment call as to the timing of who you should tell and when.

‘Leaders are often awake when others are asleep, and working when others are resting. Nehemiah didn’t want the enemy to know what he was doing, so he investigated the ruins by night.’ Warren W. Wiersbe: Old Testament Commentary, p.757.

PRAYER: I pray for a heart open to receive your dreams and visions, and for wisdom to know how to handle what you show me.