The Big Idea
An Introduction to Be Determined
by Ken Baugh
Did you know that Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas and that he also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland? Did you know that Babe Ruth set the record for the most home runs in baseball but that he also holds the record for the most strikeouts? Did you know that in 1954, Jim Denny, the manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance, saying, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere … son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck”?
Did you know that it took Thomas Edison two thousand experiments before he invented the right filament for the first light bulb? When a young reporter asked him what it felt like to fail so many times, Edison replied, “I never failed once, inventing the light bulb just happened to be a two-thousand-step process.”
Did you know that by the time Beethoven was forty-six years old he had become completely deaf and yet went on to compose his greatest works, including five symphonies, during his deaf years? And did you know that Jonas Salk, the man who invented the vaccine for polio, attempted two hundred unsuccessful vaccines before he came up with the one that worked? Someone asked Jonas how it felt to fail two hundred times trying to come up with the vaccine for polio, and he replied, “I never failed two hundred times at anything in my life. My family taught me never to use that word. I simply found two hundred ways not to make a vaccine for polio.”
Amazing, huh? What was it about these people that enabled them to endure adversity, failure, ridicule, and heartbreak? What gave them their inner resolve and determination to press on in spite of the difficulties and setbacks? I want to know, don’t you? I mean, when things get tough in my life, my tendency is to become discouraged and depressed. I’m tempted to just give up. How about you? Do you ever feel like just throwing in the towel?
Well, if you’re feeling like that today as you open this commentary, you are in for a very pleasant surprise, because Nehemiah is going to show you how to keep going when you feel like giving up. In fact, determination is the Big Idea that runs throughout this book. And I believe that you—yes, you—can develop the same degree of determination as Nehemiah if you answer three simple questions.
Question #1: Why? In order to develop a high degree of determination, you have to be able to answer the why question. Why did Nehemiah believe that he was the man to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall around the city? He wasn’t a construction guy; he was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah knew about wine, not about architecture and masonry. What was he thinking? I believe that Nehemiah was thinking about the safety of God’s people as well as God’s reputation throughout the surrounding nations.
You see, with the walls being broken down and the gates burned, any enemy could just walk in and plunder the city anytime they wanted. Without walls, God’s people had little means of protection. In addition to that, Jerusalem was God’s city, and it was a mockery for this city that was once the shining city declaring God’s glory to the entire world to be in ruins. So Nehemiah had to do something. He was worried about God’s people and zealous for God’s glory—that was the source of his determination. I believe that the degree of determination to accomplish any significant task requires a clear answer to the why question: Why am I doing this?
There have been times when I’ve asked myself why I am a pastor, because at times it can be so difficult. Every pastor deals with a certain amount of criticism, conflict, and chaos in their church no matter how healthy it may be, because every church is full of hurting, sinful people, and the one thing you can always count on is that hurt people hurt people. I’ve experienced my fair share of hurt, but during these times of discouragement and doubt, I remind myself why I became a pastor in the first place. And the simple answer is that God has called me to shepherd His people and to serve them for His glory. So when I’m having a bad day in ministry, I remember why I do what I do, and the answer strengthens my determination to keep going. Nehemiah did the same thing. He knew exactly why he was going to Jerusalem: to help God’s people and restore God’s reputation. And these reasons fueled his determination.
Question #2: How? Having a plan is another important element for developing and maintaining determination. And every plan that Nehemiah devised involved a critical component: prayer. After receiving the distressing news that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the city gates burned, Nehemiah prayed (1:4–11). During his conversation with the king when Nehemiah asked for leave, he asked God for the king’s favor (2:4). After being taunted and ridiculed by his enemies Tobiah and Sanballat, Nehemiah asked God to deal with them as He saw fit (4:4–5). When the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod threatened to attack if Nehemiah didn’t stop building the wall, Nehemiah asked God for protection (4:9). In fact, Nehemiah received many threats from various sources, but each time he prayed and showed his reliance on God (6:9; 13:29). Over and over again, Nehemiah bathed his plans and his motives in prayer (5:19; 13:14, 22, 31). If you want to develop determination, the kind of resolve that does not give up in the face of opposition, then follow the example of Nehemiah and take every situation to the Lord in prayer, asking Him how things should be done.
Question #3: Who? The final element in developing and maintaining determination is facing the fact that you will need help: You cannot succeed alone. Nehemiah knew that he would need help and protection during the long trip from Susa to Jerusalem and that once he arrived, he would need building materials to repair the walls and the city gates, so he asked the king for letters of transit to assure safe passage to Judah and letters to the keeper of the king’s forests to supply the timber that he would need for construction (2:7–9). Then, when he arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah set out one night with a few men to survey the damage to the city walls (2:12). And of course, he needed the help of all the people to actually rebuild the walls and repair the gates (2:17). In all, Nehemiah knew that he could not accomplish the task that God had called him to on his own. He needed help. Sometimes plans fail and determination wanes simply because we try to do things alone. But the Bible says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Prov. 15:22). Nehemiah wasn’t afraid to ask for help, and if we want to succeed in the plans that God has for us, neither can we be.
I hope you will recognize as you read through this commentary that you too can develop and maintain the same degree of determination that Nehemiah had—you can accomplish whatever God has called you to do if you follow Nehemiah’s example and answer the three simple questions: Why, How, and Who.
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Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is theologically sound but not overly academic. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether you’re a Bible scholar or a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warren’s insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in the other, you will be able to unpack the deep truths of God’s Word accurately and learn how to apply them to your life.
Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of God’s Word, for in them you will find Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.
—Ken Baugh
Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church
Aliso Viejo, California