Nehemiah chapter one tells us of Nehemiah’s great call to go and rebuild the wall of Jerusalem that had been left desolate.  It was his great destiny – the life calling that defined him.  Although I had always assumed that God had TOLD Nehemiah about this purpose for his life, a close reading of the text never indicates that.  Nehemiah’s call was simply due to the burden on his heart.  He heard of a great need, and his godly conscience demanded that he take action.

Here in America we have seen similar stories in the wake of the terrible disasters.   Violence, natural disasters, and all manner of tragedies abound.  Christians are constantly “stepping up to the plate” by sacrificing time and resources to help their neighbors.  These actions are not the result of instructions from the “voice of God.”  Such instructions were not needed.  Like Nehemiah, we have been called by the burden of our hearts.

Whenever your conscience, trained by faith and the Word of God, demands that you take action, do it!  Such are the times when our world’s often ill-advised instruction is actually true… “Listen to your heart!”  In doing so, you might the very purpose that God intends for your life.