NEHEMIAH 2
Leadership Journal 1
Nehemiah had an exciting journey of becoming a leader. He was taken captive and was
forced to serve as cupbearer. Upon learning of the wall of Jerusalem being destroyed, along with
the gates by way of fire, Nehemiah begins to weep and mourn. However, while mourning, he
also fasted and prayed to God. Nehemiah asked for repentance for himself and the people while
seeking guidance on rebuilding the wall. The Persian king honored Nehemiah's request to be sent
to Judah to rebuild the wall due to the king's pain for Nehemiah. Once given permission,
Nehemiah felt God heard his cries4and honored his prayers. Nehemiah informed those who were
helping him to rebuild the walls, which included the Jews, priests, nobles, and officials, that the
hand of God was upon him and that the king had permitted him. Nehemiah was empowered and,
in return, empowered the people to the point that they said, "Let us rise and build." Nehemiah
motivated the people because he felt empowered by God because of his prayers and the king's
support. God, the king, and the people all saw the heart of Nehemiah.
Reflection
The story of Nehemiah in this first part is unique to me. The reason is that Nehemiah took
his pain and disbelief in private but sought guidance on what to do next. Although he was
weeping and mourning, he could still lead the way4he needed. He found the good in what needed
to be done and expressed his excitement for building the wall. As leaders, we have to show
enthusiasm and excitement to get the buy-in from our team. The people believed in Nehemiah's
vision because of how he led. As a leader, sometimes you're going to have pain and you are
going to have to motivate yourself before you go in front of the people. As leaders, we have to
learn to encourage ourselves, so that we can go encourage our team.
NEHEMIAH 3
Leadership Journal 2
Summary
In learning that the wall of Jerusalem was going to be rebuilt and the breaches were being
closed, Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites became angry. They
became so consumed by anger that they developed a plan to fight against Jerusalem, which4only
confused the town. Nehemiah went before God again and put a guard as a protection against his
people day and night, Nehemiah handled this issue with both a spiritual and human mindset,
which represented prayer and protection. He did not get discouraged by what was surrounding
him.
Reflection
As a leader, I have learned that it's essential to learn how to strengthen those we serve
both in private and in. public. This is done through self-determination and the development of
competencies. By showing an investment in those you serve, they will follow the vision and
work hard to ensure that it is carried out to the best of their ability. As leaders, we must remind
ourselves that we are servants, and we must4put the needs of those we serve first rather than ours,
and then trust will come about. This is exactly what Nehemiah did by setting the guards in place
to protect those who were helping to rebuild the wall. He went as far as to call the
townspeople4to help when they heard the horn. If the people trust you as their leader and the
team, the better off you will be closer to achieving your vision and mission. This is an essential
factor because trust takes time to earn. The harder you go for your team, the harder they will go
for you, and most of the time, you won't have to do much as the leader but then lead. However,
this also comes with encouraging your team while pushing them to be more significant.
NEHEMIAH 4
Leadership Journal 3
Summary
Nehemiah prayed to God and asked Him to give back to the Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs,
the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites for the ridicule they produced. Nehemiah also prayed for
judgment to be placed4on them so they could become prisoners of other lands. Nehemiah asked
God not to4forget the trouble they had brought and to bring punishment upon them. Nehemiah
was not praying for himself but wanted to ensure that God was getting the glory and no personal
gain from himself. Nehemiah didn’t respond in a way was for personal gain, but I it was to
maintain his commitment to the work he was doing for God. Nehemiah perseverance motivated
his workers: "So we rebuilt the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height; for
the people had a mind to work" ( King James, 1769, Nehemiah, 4:6).
Reflection
One of the things Nehemiah teaches me as a leader is always to seek God.4As4we have
learned thus far,4Nehemiah prayed constantly to God for guidance, wisdom, and encouragement
to complete the task he asked God to do. Not only did he pray himself, but most importantly, he
prayed for the people he served. This is the characteristic of a true leader.4Nehemiah
communicated the vision he set in his mind with the guidance and wisdom of God to the people
he served correctly. Nehemiah had to watch someone else lead,4so he4took what he had learned
and put it to work. He also uses his role as a cupbearer to his advantage over the king.4As a
leader, you must learn how to use the experiences you get from the leaders you serve.4There is no
need to reinvent the wheel. You get to know your strengths and weaknesses and work towards
improving them.
NEHEMIAH 5
Leadership Journal 4
Summary
Nehemiah began to realize during his journey that a significant conflict was developing
due to the fact that some of those who were following him were now becoming influenced by
others and charging other Jewish people interest, taking their property if they could not afford to
pay, which caused4people to be enslaved. When Nehemiah learned of this, he became angry
and4needed to address the nobles and officials. Nehemiah called for a meeting and said they were
wronging the people. This caused the leaders to agree to give back what they took and not to
demand anything in addition from the workers, leaving Nehemiah satisfied with the request.
However,4Nehemiah received4pushback from Sanballat Tobiah, Geshem, the Arabs, and other
enemies. They went on to say that Nehemiah was leading a rebellion for him to become a king,
all because he refused to meet with them. This was attached, and they tried using it on Nehemiah
to intimidate him. They did this because he wouldn't meet with them, and it would only result in
a trap that would have been his death.
Reflection
Reflecting on this part of Nehemiah, I see that it shows me his courage as a leader. He
was not nervous about calling out people doing wrong, especially those following him. This
showed me that he had built trust with his people to the point that he could hold them
accountable and not be offended by what he called them out on. Nehemiah showed tenacity for
the entire rebuilding of the wall. He set a goal to accomplish that came from his desire to give
God glory and was determined not to let anything get in the way of making it happen. He knew
from the very beginning what his desired outcome was to be. He wasn't allowing anything to
NEHEMIAH 6
deter him from reaching his goal. Although he had a goal, he still supported, encouraged, and
protected his people while ensuring the vision came to fruition.
Leadership Journal 5
Summary
The people within Jerusalem committed a community to work together. They did not let
the trials and tribulations bombard them in any way. Nehemiah set the stage by praying to God
and knowing he received the blessing to carry this out. This in return allowed the people to
follow God's way. They decided to make God the center of what they were tasked to do instead
of themselves. This may not be4easy4for some, but it was easy for them because they were
willing to put their business4aside and make sacrifices. When they completed the wall, they did a
dedication service in Jerusalem to give4thanksgiving and give God glory for what He had done.
The people were excited and rejoiced. They4were excited to see their completed work, but most
importantly, for God to get the glory. This was a true testament to Nehemiah's outstanding
leadership.
Reflection
This piece alone teaches4me that as a leader,4it's important to show appreciation to the
people who serve you and help carry4out your mission and vision. It is always good to love
others. Encouragement is another crucial factor because you, as a leader, never know what
someone on your team is facing. This is another critical factor in building trust among people.
After you have victories, there should always be a celebration to recognize the hard work put
into the project. I have learned as a leader that sometimes when you encourage your team,
NEHEMIAH 7
they4encourage you, and most of the time, they don't even know. They4help you. This is why
leading4with kindness and compassion is4essential; you never know when you will need it.
Leadership Journal
Summary
The struggles that I would face as a leader would be not getting burned out. Sometimes, it
is hard for me to let others do things because I don't want them to mess up. However, I must
remember that I can let some things go because the people I hire should be people I trust. I have
recognized that there may be areas where I'm weak and someone on my team is stronger. One of
the actions4I have to take is to be ok with learning from my team. I love learning from them, but
it can be hard to let go of something I'm passionate about. I want to do more team-building
activities that would allow me to build more trust with my team members and feel comfortable
knowing that they can do an even better job than me. I have too much on my plate, and
overdoing can affect vision4and mission.
